”Dancing Home”

By Alma Flor Ada and Gabriel M. Zubizarreta. Ages 8 to 12.

How would you like your cousin to move in with you? Every person is bound to have a different reaction.

Born in Texas and living with her parents in Northern California, Margie (short for Margarita) is not thrilled when her Mexican cousin, whom she hasn’t met, comes to stay with them.

The first problem is communication. Lupe speaks very little English, and Margie speaks little Spanish. When Lupe is placed in Margie’s homeroom class, Margie is embarrassed because she has been trying hard to fit in as an American. Now two annoying boys are calling her “Maargaareetaa” again. Plus she can’t help Lupe understand what the teacher is saying. At home, Margie feels left out of the warm conversations her parents have with Lupe in Spanish.

Although “Dancing Home” starts with Margie’s viewpoint, the story also gives Lupe’s perspective on the situation. She had trouble leaving her family behind and now must adjust to a very different classroom environment. She misses her family and traditions in Mexico, and she wonders about her father, who left for the United States when she was little and hasn’t been heard from in a long time.

Over the course of the school year, both Margie and Lupe will be challenged in many ways. Margie has to consider a new, larger definition of what it means to be an American. Lupe has to make a major decision when her father suddenly shows up. Can they find common ground at home, school and places in between?