April 1, 2025 by Carolrhoda Books
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Petra Navarros lives in San Antonio, Texas, in 1937. Times are tough, especially since her father has passed away, and her step mother (Amá) is trying to support Petra and her step siblings by shelling pecans in a local factory. Petra loves school, and promised her father that she would continue with her education so that she had more opportunities in her life, but when Amá can't earn enough money, Petra has to quit school and shell pecans as well. It's a tough job, and the working conditions are terrible. The dust from the pecans, combined with inadequate ventilation, lead to many of the workers getting tuberculosis. Petra befriends Dona Ramoncita, and older woman whose excellent work allows her to be somewhat outspoken, and Ofelia, who is slightly older and engaged to be married. Money is so tight that Petra finds it hard to obtain paper or pencils in order to write down her stories, and her siblings struggle to have shoes and clothes that fit. There are some moments of joy, and Amá allows Petra to go to the quinceanera of a school friend, even though the wealthy celebration is somewhat uncomfortable. When all of the factories in town threaten to cut wages (so that workers won't try to go to another factory), Dona Ramoncita leads a strike, but Amá doesn't want Petra to be involved, since Amá lived through the Mexican Revolution, which treated her brutally. The town rallies around the workers, and people donate food, but since Amá had lost her job before the strike and is taking in laundry, times are especially tough. Petra continues to fight for the cause, even being beaten and jailed. In the end, the strike causes the owners to limit the wage cuts a bit and improve conditions slightly, but a few months after the settlement, the Fair Labor Act guaruntees workers 25 cents an out. While some factories bring in machinery to cut the amount of workers, Amá is able to get a job running one of the machines, and Petra is able to go back to school.
Strengths: Historical fiction is helpful for providing young readers with a sense of context; when I was growing up, I heard personal stories about the privations of the Great Depression, but my students would be shocked to learn that Petra erased her assignment from notebook paper so she could reuse it. I know I pick up a dozen pencils a day from the hallway floors, so Petra's excitement about the gift of a pencil will be a revelation. The expectation for fair labor practices are also much different today, and the concept of taking work home from factories for families to work on will also be shocking for children who spend six hours a day playing games on their phones. This also touched on other historical events, like the Mexican Revolution and the Fair Pay Act, and has some helpful notes.
Weaknesses: While the death of the father is very sad, I can't imagine that Amá would have stayed in bed for several days. She wouldn't have had the luxury.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Sanchez's The Wind Called My Name or Dobbs' The Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna, which sheds some light on the experiences Amá might have had in Mexico.
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