Cecilia's Year
by Susan & Denise Gonzales Abraham
2004
From School Library Journal
Grade 4-8–Covering a year in the life of a Depression-era girl in a Hispanic household in rural New Mexico, this book is a tribute to a quiet heroine. As children of the real Cecilia, the authors offer an episodic account of a 14-year-old who desperately wants to go to high school at a time when most girls were expected to work at home. The cultural details are vivid and integrated into the story, providing a rich context and a snapshot of an entire community. A concluding note tells what happened to Cecilia as an adult. This fictionalized biography succeeds on several levels. Each chapter takes place during one month and has the feel of a complete short story while carrying readers along as Cecilia's determination to be something more than a good farm wife and mother bumps up against tough opposition. Spanish proverbs and family photos round out this vivid story of one young woman's determination to follow her dream.–Carol A. Edwards, Douglas County Libraries, Castle Rock, CO
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Grade 4-8–Covering a year in the life of a Depression-era girl in a Hispanic household in rural New Mexico, this book is a tribute to a quiet heroine. As children of the real Cecilia, the authors offer an episodic account of a 14-year-old who desperately wants to go to high school at a time when most girls were expected to work at home. The cultural details are vivid and integrated into the story, providing a rich context and a snapshot of an entire community. A concluding note tells what happened to Cecilia as an adult. This fictionalized biography succeeds on several levels. Each chapter takes place during one month and has the feel of a complete short story while carrying readers along as Cecilia's determination to be something more than a good farm wife and mother bumps up against tough opposition. Spanish proverbs and family photos round out this vivid story of one young woman's determination to follow her dream.–Carol A. Edwards, Douglas County Libraries, Castle Rock, CO
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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