The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano

The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano
By Sonia Mazano
Scholastic, 2012. 205 pages. Historical fiction.

The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano is beautifully written by Emmy-award winning "Sesame Street" writer and actress Sonia Manzano (Maria!). In the late 60s, Evelyn (who changed her name from Rosa to distance herself from her Puerto Rican heritage) lives in a tumultuous Harlem barrio. She is a typical teenager who fights with her parents and notices boys, but the rapidly-changing cultural climate makes her life atypical. Her political activist grandmother moves in and sweeps her into the neighborhood protests taking place in the interest of effecting political change. Throughout the revolution, Evelyn finds herself reconciling her American identity and her Puerto Rican culture. I found the themes of this exceptional novel to be applicable to current events around the world. As Abuela astutely observes, "That's why there are revolutions. Because many things are not right." The main character is a teenager, but there is nothing objectionable in the content; however, the novel is probably best suited to 5th grade+ readers. This book is in good company with One Crazy Summer (Rita Williams-Garcia) and Esperanza Rising (Pam Munoz Ryan).

Comments

Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) by Pamela Espeland & Elizabeth Verdick

If there's one book today's kids need to read, it is Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) . The authors provide a fun format for teaching etiquette to children. They discuss proper behavior at home, at school, at other people's homes and in public places. The information is completely up-to-date with cellphone manners and netiquette included. Fun, cartoony illustrations are on practically every page giving the book great visual appeal. This book is perfect for boys and girls in the fourth grade or older. WARNING: Bodily functions are discussed.

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin Illustrated by Leslie Evans Charlesburg; 2009; unpaged Faces of the Moon is a short nonfiction book that describes the different phases of the moon and why the moon appears like it does on certain nights. This book is short and sweet so even the youngest of moon lovers will enjoy it. The layout is simplistic and easy to follow. I don’t know much about the moon so I found it very interesting.

Review: The Factory

The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages. Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...

Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Search This Blog