Margie is 100% American. Mexico may be her parents home but it is definitely not Margie's. When Margie's Mexican cousin Lupe comes from to live with her family Margie's whole world is turned upside down. Lupe is placed in Margie's class even though she doesn't speak a word of English. Margie is expected to translate for her but with Margie's limited spanish it makes it impossible. She is also left out of all her parents conversations in Spanish with Lupe. It doesn't help when people at school start teasing her and Lupe for being Mexican. Things haven't been easy on Lupe either. Lupe had to leave her family, friends, and school behind in Mexico. She must learn a whole new language. The only things that carry her through are the love and support of her new family, and the hope that she will see her father who left when she was young to search for work in America. The girls must work together to learn to be proud of their heritage, and must lean on each other. I really enjoyed Dancing Home. While this is kind of a short book it definitely does not lack story. I really liked the characters and thought they were easy to relate to. Although there are some sad parts of the story I think that it is more of an uplifting story. I really enjoyed the setting and the way the book makes you think about what it actually means to be American. There is some Spanish in the book but it is explained in english so even if you don't speak Spanish you can still understand it. I think it is kind of a story that younger kids could enjoy but I would recommend it as a quick read to grades five and up.
Sounds like an interesting book. Nice summary!
ReplyDeleteI liked the way you described the book, Sophie, especially "While this is kind of a short book it definitely does not lack story." I liked the story of how these girls worked out differences and finally helped each other a lot.
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