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Summary
Summary
A young girl's discovery of her cultural heritage helps her lovingly cope with loss in this tender tale from acclaimed authors Alma Flor Ada and Gabriel Zubizarreta.
Amalia's best friend Martha is moving away, and Amalia is feeling sad and angry. And yet, even when life seems unfair, the loving, wise words of Amalia's abuelita have a way of making everything a little bit brighter. Amalia finds great comfort in times shared with her grandmother: cooking, listening to stories and music, learning, and looking through her treasured box of family cards.
But when another loss racks Amalia's life, nothing makes sense anymore. In her sorrow, will Amalia realize just how special she is, even when the ones she loves are no longer near?
From leading voices in Hispanic literature, this thoughtful and touching depiction of one girl's transition through loss and love is available in both English and Spanish.
Author Notes
Alma Flor Ada, an authority on multicultural and bilingual education, is the recipient of the 2012 Virginia Hamilton Literary Award, and in 2014 she was honored by the Mexican government with the prestigious OHTLI Award. She is the author of numerous award-winning books for young readers, including Dancing Home with Gabriel Zubizarreta, My Name Is María Isabel , Under the Royal Palms (Pura Belpré Medal), Where the Flame Trees Bloom , and The Gold Coin (Christopher Award Medal). She lives in California, and you can visit her at AlmaFlorAda.com.
Gabriel M. Zubizarreta draws from his experiences of raising his three wonderful daughters in his writing. He hopes his books will encourage young people to author their own destinies. He coauthored Love, Amalia and Dancing Home with Alma Flor Ada. Gabriel lives in Northern California with his family and invites you to visit his website at GabrielMZubizarreta.com.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-5-Amalia is upset when her best friend announces that she is moving from Chicago to California. When Martha leaves, Amalia turns to her grandmother for comfort. It is in her kitchen and at her table that the child learns not only about her family and her Mexican heritage, but also about herself. As Abuelita shares her Christmas-card ritual with her granddaughter, Amalia is given glimpses of her aunts and uncles and her mother, and notices the care that Abuelita takes in her communication and responses with everyone. It's quite the the opposite of how Amalia treated Martha at the time of her move. When her grandmother dies suddenly, the child feels lost. Her extended family, whom she has heard so much about, is suddenly around, but instead of making her feel better, she feels worse. Through flashbacks, readers see just how close Amalia was to Abuelita and how much she relied on her for comfort and advice. Over time, with the help of the cherished Christmas-card box, she begins to heal, and by recalling Abuelita's words and deeds, she begins to reach out to her family members, and to Martha as well. This story utilizes a special intergenerational relationship to introduce Mexican culture and traditions within the themes of changing family and friendships. Spanish words and phrases are woven into the text. While it does not break new ground, this quiet story may provide a different perspective on the loss of a loved one.-Stacy Dillon, LREI, New York City (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Ada and Zubizaretta's (Dancing Home) uneven collaboration focuses on the deep bond between Mexican-American sixth-grader Amalia and her grandmother. When Amalia's best friend, Martha, moves away from Chicago, Amalia's Abuelita helps Amalia cope with the anger and sorrow. But when Abuelita unexpectedly dies, Amalia descends into an overwhelming grief that renders her unable to connect with the many relatives who descend upon their household-and whose stories Abuelita often shared with her on their weekly Fridays together. The authors successfully depict family love and closeness across generations and distances, but their combined voice lacks energy, relying on summaries and platitudes: "Moments like this made their friendship so special." Two of the livelier sections are memories: one of a camping trip with Martha's family and one of Amalia's grandmother's guidance in helping her granddaughter resolve a wrong action. In the final chapters, when Amalia directly faces her grief and reaches out to her relatives, the book finally takes on an authentic emotional poignancy, bringing a closing richness to this story of a girl's first experience of loss. Ages 8-12. Agent: Adriana Dominguez, Full Circle Literary. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Sixth graders Amalia and Martha have been best friends since first grade, enjoying school, soccer, vacations, and reading books together. So when Martha excitedly informs Amalia that she's moving to California, Amalia is devastated and angry. Fortunately, her abuelita is there to comfort her with her own stories about loved ones far away, back home in Mexico, and in Costa Rica: "I know how hard it is when someone you love goes away...But one finds ways, Amalia, to keep them close." When Abuelita suddenly dies, Amalia must draw on all that her grandmother has taught her, as well as memories of their times together, to accept her grief and anger and move on. With sensitively drawn characters and a low-key story moving between present and past, the authors construct a portrait of a multigenerational immigrant family. The Latino culture of the family is reflected in the cooking the two do together, the memories Abuelita passes on, and all the letters she has kept from distant loved ones. Spanish words are used throughout the text, their meaning arrived at through context or textual translations. Two family recipes are appended. martha walke (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Ada and Zubizarreta (Dancing Home, 2011) reunite to focus on a young Latina girl coping with loss. Sixth-grader Amalia lives in Chicago with her Mexican-American mother and Puerto Rican father. While making melcocha (taffy) one afternoon with Abuelita, Amalia shares that her best friend, Martha, is moving to California. Abuelita calms her with tales of the people she has lost through the years. While these tales temporarily relieve Amalia's anxiety about Martha's move, she is still upset. When Martha and her family leave sooner than expected, Amalia becomes angry and is convinced that she has lost her friend forever. She feels the emptiness of life without Martha and reminisces about the great times they had together, but her worries are pushed aside when Abuelita dies unexpectedly. As her family gathers from Mexico and Costa Rica to celebrate Abuelita's long life, Amalia has a difficult time understanding why everyone else isn't as sad as she is. After her mother gives her one of Abuelita's most cherished possessions, she begins to understand the important role she played in her grandmother's life and finds the courage to contact Martha. The authors tackle issues of love, loss and familial ties with a sympathetic, light hand and blend Spanish words and Latino music and recipes into Amalia's tale. A charming story, especially for children facing the loss of grandparents. (recipes) (Fiction. 8-12)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Latina sixth-grader Amalia is so upset by her best friend Martha's move from their Chicago neighborhood to California that she can't even say good-bye. When her beloved abuelita passes away suddenly a few days later, she doesn't even have the chance to say good-bye. As her relatives arrive from various Spanish-speaking countries, their mourning also becomes a celebration of togetherness after so much time apart. All Amalia can think about is no longer spending time in her grandmother's kitchen, listening to stories about aunts, uncles, and cousins and creating delicious treats like melococha, a taffy made from honey. When her mother gives her Abuelita's olive-wood box, filled with letters sent from family over the years, Amalia realizes the importance of staying connected with Martha and just how to do it. Sprinkled with Spanish words and phrases, this quiet story charmingly emphasizes the importance of both friendship and intergenerational relationships. It concludes with simple recipes for making some of Abuelita's favorite desserts.--Leeper, Angela Copyright 2010 Booklist