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Reviewed by: Ashley Poulin, Elementary School Librarian Title: A Seed in the Sun Author: Aida Salazar Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
Year: 2022 Good for Grades: 4-8 Genre/Type of Book: Historical Fiction/Chapter Book
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: Historically accurate racism and violence Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: I chose this book because there isn't a lot of good historical fiction available for elementary schools, and I have a few avid readers of it. If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be: It's time for Lula to get her voice back!
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Review:
A Seed in the Sun is about a twelve year old Mexican American girl named Lula, who lives in California in 1965. Her family all work harvesting grapes, although her parents try their best to ensure that she and her siblings get to go to school. When Mama gets sick, a direct result of the pesticides being sprayed while they harvest, she has to work in the fields to help her family get by. This all happens in the midst of the 1965 Farmworkers Strike, which impacts each family member in a unique way. Salazar did an excellent job of teaching about the Farmworkers Strikes, Cezar Chavez, and Dolores Huerta, throughout the narrative. This is not a period of United States history I’m overly familiar with, so I both enjoyed reading about the topic, and appreciated her ability to build the context into the plot of the story. I also enjoy the novel in verse format.
This book has clear curricular ties to United States history. It features a diverse cast of characters and would be a good option for ELA departments looking to modernize their required reading texts. The children working as activists in the book ties in nicely with the new SEL Benchmarks too.
Number of party hats:
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