In this timely tale of immigration, two cousins learn the importance of family and friendship.
A year of discoveries culminates in a performance full of surprises, as two girls find their own way to belong.
Mexico may be her parents’ home, but it’s certainly not Margie’s. She has finally convinced the other kids at school she is one-hundred percent American—just like them. But when her Mexican cousin Lupe visits, the image she’s created for herself crumbles.
Things aren’t easy for Lupe, either. Mexico hadn’t felt like home since her father went North to find work. Lupe’s hope of seeing him in the United States comforts her some, but learning a new language in a new school is tough. Lupe, as much as Margie, is in need of a friend.
Little by little, the girls’ individual steps find the rhythm of one shared dance, and they learn what “home” really means. In the tradition of My Name is Maria Isabel—and simultaneously published in English and in Spanish—Alma Flor Ada and her son Gabriel M. Zubizarreta offer an honest story of family, friendship, and the classic immigrant experience: becoming part of something new, while straying true to who you are.
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Veronica Chambers
Dancing Home doesn't shy from any of the harsher truths about life for Mexican immigrants…But it is the friendship between the girls and the tall, blond Camille (also a secret Latina at large) that makes this an absorbing novel for readers of any background. And the authors, for the most part, handle the narrative with tenderness and charm.
The New York Times
Publishers Weekly
Working with a potentially rich multicultural family story, Ada (Under the Royal Palms) and first-time author Zubizarreta instead deliver a timely but lifeless novel about a Mexican-American girl in California and her newly arrived Mexican cousin. The 11-year-olds—Margarita, who insists on being called Margie and regularly refers to her Texas birth, and Lupe, who barely speaks English—come across as little more than mouthpieces for the authors' message. While the opening chapter, in which Margarita unhappily brings Lupe to her own classroom, is promising, the authors rely too much on descriptions and summaries, forgoing opportunities to "show, don't tell." Margarita's dismay over losing her hard-won Americanism is realistically age-appropriate, but Lupe seems overly mature. Facing her long-lost father, she thinks: "The same painful longings that had nourished all of her fantasies were now fueling her anger against this man who seemed to enter into and disappear from her life so easily." Margarita's eventual appreciation of her heritage and Lupe's adjustment to her new country are predictable and too easily come by to have true emotional resonance. A Spanish-language edition, Nacer Bailando, is available simultaneously. Ages 8–12. (July)
School Library Journal
Gr 3–6—Margie is proud to be an American, born in the United States. Her parents were born in Mexico and so was her cousin, Lupe, who has come to stay with Margie's family in California. At first Margie is excited, but that enthusiasm dissipates when Lupe is placed in her classroom. She doesn't speak English, and Margie's teacher expects her to translate for her. A couple of classroom bullies seem bent on belittling the cousins' heritage. Margie is relieved when Lupe is transferred to a bilingual class, leaving a desk near her for the newest classmate, Camille. The girls become great friends. When they're given a journal assignment, Camille models what it's like to have a passion as she thinks, researches, and writes about dolphins. Lupe stays after school to learn folkloric dances, and the book concludes with a performance that helps Margie understand how American she is and how her Mexican heritage fits into her identity. This story will assist readers in embracing their own heritage and developing an appreciation for their classmates' backgrounds. It's an enjoyable offering (and a great read-aloud) that will capture readers' attention and have them rooting for the cousins and their friendships and family relationships. A Spanish-language edition, Nacer Bailando, is available simultaneously.—Helen Foster James, University of California at San Diego
From the Publisher
"The third-person narration shifts its focus gently from girl to girl, allowing readers access to their thoughts and feelings.... Although sometimes wise beyond their years, Margie and Lupe will charm readers as each girl struggles for belonging and acceptance in this realistic novel."
KIRKUS REVIEWS, June 1, 2011“This story will assist readers in embracing their own heritage and developing an appreciation for their classmates’ backgrounds. It’s an enjoyable offering (and a great read-aloud) that will capture readers’ attention and have them rooting for the cousins and their friendships and family relationships.”
School Library Journal, July 2011
"Ada, the author of many multicultural titles, including Tales Our Abuelitas Told: A Hispanic
Folktale Collection (2006), and Zubizarreta write knowingly of the difficulties of a life lived in two
cultures. A subplot involving Lupe’s father (who came to America illegally and later abandoned his
family) is also well handled, as is the inclusion of a Ruben Dario poem, “To Margarita.” Give this to fans
of Pam Muñoz Ryan’s Esperanza Rising (2000) and Becoming Naomi Leon (2004)."
Booklist, July 1, 2011
“It is the friendship between the girls and the tall, blond Camille…that makes this an absorbing novel for readers of any background. And the authors…handle the narrative with tenderness and charm.”
The New York Times Book Review, July 17, 2011
“Ada and Zubizarreta tackle important topics including immigration, bilingual education, and bullying. This book will speak intimately to readers straddling different cultures and grappling with what it means to be an American.”
Library Media Connection, November/December 2011
Children's Literature - Carly Reagan
From cutting her long black hair short to shunning her real name, Margarita, Margie has always tried her hardest to fit in with her American friends by ignoring her Mexican heritage. But when her cousin Lupe from Mexico comes to live with her family in California, Margie is suddenly reminded of what she has tried so hard to forget: even though she was born in the United States, she is also Mexican. As she grows to understand and love Lupe, she cannot help but also grow to understand and love her family's heritage. In the process of learning what it means to be Mexican, Margie also learns what it means to be American. Almost everyone in the United States came from somewhere else once upon a time, and Margie learns that she can love both parts of herself equally. Feeling a sense of belonging amidst more than one culture is a very relevant topic for children today, as the rate of immigration into the United States from Mexico continues to increase. With each chapter switching from Margie's point of view to Lupe's point of view and back, the reader gets a chance to walk a mile in both pairs of shoes. While the authors' writing style lacks some personality, the story is strong and easy to relate to, with a very clear lesson learned by the characters involved. It is, however, unfortunate that at times, the morals are so specifically spelled out that it feels as though the reader is expected to know nothing. Though lacking some grace and subtlety, Margie and Lupe's story is an important one for children who struggle with cultural identity, and may be just right for the right reader. Reviewer: Carly Reagan
Kirkus Reviews
Two cousins, one born in Texas and the other in Mexico, learn the importance of family and friendship.
As an only child living in California with her Mexican-American parents, Margie Ceballos-González is proud to be American. Everything changes when her cousin Lupe González leaves her mother, stepfather and half-brothers in Mexico to live with Margie and her parents. Years before, Lupe's father had moved to the United States for work and then disappeared. Margie and Lupe are both in fifth grade at the same school, and Lupe's presence immediately draws exactly the sort of attention Margie has been trying to avoid. At home, she finds herself competing for attention as her parents welcome Lupe with Mexican foods and Spanish conversation. Sensing her cousin's dilemma, Lupe finds ways to help Margie appreciate their shared Mexican heritage. Margie thaws, even realizing the beauty of her name, Margarita, which came from one of her mother's favorite flowers, the daisy. The third-person narration shifts its focus gently from girl to girl, allowing readers access to their thoughts and feelings. The authors also connect Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío's "A Margarita" to the story, and the full poem follows the novel in both Spanish and English.
Although sometimes wise beyond their years, Margie and Lupe will charm readers as each girl struggles for belonging and acceptance in this realistic novel.(Fiction. 8-12)
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