Mexikid Dreams: A Graphic Memoir

Mexikid

by Pedro Martín

In this extraordinary graphic memoir companion to Newbery Honor winner Mexikid, hilarious family hijinks, immigration patrols, and musical daydreams shape a year of growth and change for a Mexican-American boy and his family.

Pedro Martín is sick of strawberries. Since he was seven, he’s spent every weekend and summer picking berries with his family under the hot sun. Sometimes it’s not so bad—Pedro’s an ace at “strawberry wars” with his siblings, and when a good song comes on the radio, the fields can come alive with music. But mostly, Pedro wishes he could just stay home watching Saturday cartoons, head to the beach like other kids, and not worry about immigration patrols. When his older brother gets a job away from the farm, freedom suddenly seems within arm’s Pedro just has to prove to his dad that he’s ready to follow a different path! Maybe he can be a trombone player, or a cartoonist—if that’s even a real job. But as Pedro learns more about his parents’ and abuelito’s past, and the choices they made in order to open up more choices for him, he starts to understand that freedom isn’t just about leaving the fields—it’s about knowing where you came from and having the courage to draw your own life.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Memoir, Nonfiction, Family, Biography, Comics

320 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication September 1, 2026

Reviews

[Danielle Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5⭐️ - this was such a fantastic sequel to Mexikid. There were parts that made me laugh out loud. My 14 year old daughter also really loved it!

[Diana of Shelved by Strand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mexikid has long been the most popular graphic novel in my middle school classroom library -- and it's probably the first graphic novel I have laughed through as much as my students. Students who read it as sixth graders are now in my eighth-grade classes, so they will be high school freshmen by the time Mexikid Dreams is released. Even so, they have all told me they don't care that they won't be able to read it in my room because they will just buy it for themselves.

Mexikid Dreams picks up shortly after Mexikid ends and is every bit as satisfying. It has its share of disgusting escapades (outhouse adventures, nauseating cures for the mumps, and more), but the family bond draws you in just as much as the humor. Pedro's life isn't easy -- after an earthquake destroys the family restaurant, they relocate to pick strawberries as sharecroppers -- but it's also a testament to the power of dreams. Pedro develops new musical talents to go with his drawing skills, but we also see the drive and determination of his siblings, his parents, and the pickers employed by his father. The family's faith is also highlighted during a loss and is a big part of how their dreams play out.

Once again, Pedro Martin has crafted the perfect graphic novel. Yes, my students will pick up some more Spanish and learn about the history of fruit picking in California, but, most of all, they will be entertained as they laugh and cringe along with Pedro and his 8 siblings. Highly recommended for all middle school classrooms -- I've already pre-ordered it for my Christian school library with no content concerns.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Madeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This follow-up to Mexikid, which is just as funny and heartfelt as its prequel, focuses on the annual summer plight of young Pedro and his many siblings: picking strawberries to help keep costs low for their sharecropper dad.

Having his kids work for him means Mr. Martín doesn’t have to pay as many workers. But the work is miserable: tiring, dirty, and boring, and the only toilet is the dreaded, smelly outhouse nearby. Even worse, occasionally la migra show up, sending workers scattering in fear. (Pedro’s family members who were born in Mexico are documented.) For “fun,” Pedro and his sibs listen to music on their personal radios and occasionally fling strawberries at one another. Pedro longs to be like “the other kids,” who have nice, even tans (instead of the ombre situation he has going on), visit the beach, and otherwise enjoy their summer vacations.

When one of his older brothers gets out of picking by presenting their dad with an alternative plan (getting a job at a lumber mill as a first step toward his dream of being an architect), Pedro becomes determined to come up with his own plan, one good enough to get him out of strawberry picking.

The writing is laugh-out-loud hilarious, but the storyline is also really touching. As more of his siblings come up with plans to leave sharecropping, Pedro starts to feel bad about how much harder and more expensive it is for their dad. But it turns out their dad has been feeling bad, too, about his kids not having a real summer to just be kids. Something has to change.

I absolutely loved this and would read endless stories about Pedro and his family. The book concludes with concise updates on each of the family members: what they ended up doing for a career, etc.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mexikid Dreams is a graphic-memoir companion to Mexikid, a Newbery Honor winner. I haven't read Mexikid yet, but it's definitely moving to the top of my TBR. In his latest work, Pedro Martin provides an insight into his family's life in Watsonville. The joyful moments, the difficult ones, and the realities of living as migrant workers under the constant threat of immigration patrols.

What stood out to me most were the family dynamics and the emphasis on traditions, including the scene were the family is making tamales together. I also appreciated the strong focus on gaining an education. How strongly Pedro's father strived to make his kids' lives better, to provide them with opportunities that he never had, while making sure that they knew where they come from.

Once Pedro's father was able to hire extra help and he felt confident they could make ends meet, he gave the kids a choice about whether to continue working in the fields. The kids still had to make cutbacks of their own, to give up some of the small luxuries they were used to, but they were cared for, and their futures mattered.

I loved the updates on what each sibling is doing now in their professional lives, as well as the many pop-culture nods to comics, music and TV shows. Reading Mexikid Dreams also gave me a deeper appreciation for the challenges my own mom faced harvesting and curing tobacco as a young child. Especially all the long hours, the physical strain, and the resilience required to keep going.

**A huge thank you to Dial Books for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review**

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

This sequel to the graphic memoir Mexikid follows Pedro and his siblings as they help their father on the land where they sharecrop. Pedro doesn't like the work most of the time, and has bigger dreams; maybe he will become a musician, or be able to follow his passion for drawing, although this isn't considered to be a viable career. He eventually realizes that his father works very hard so that all of the children can have easier lives, and devotes himself to helping out a bit more. Since Martín grew up in the 1970s, this book will give modern children a look at life in the past. There is an epilogue that describes the different careers that the Martín children ended up pursuing.

There is a teacher who uses the first book as a class read aloud, so I'll need to purchase this follow up volume. There aren't a lot of books set in the 1970s, and in 2026, this is the era when the grandparents of middle grade readers grew up. I enjoyed watching Pedro come to understand how and why his parents worked so hard, but I still worry about telling children to follow their joy even if their career aspirations might be difficult to follow. As a very bitter ex Latin teacher who had to retrain as a librarian only to find that being a school librarian isn't a great career choice either, I take this very much to heart.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mexikid by Pedro Martin was one of my top books the year it was released, so I was excited to receive this ARC of Mexikid Dreams. This companion book follows Pedro and his family after "the big shake" earthquake that sent his family further north in California to pick strawberries. Pedro shares his challenging experiences of working in the field with his family while comparing that with many other kids his age who did not have those responsibilities. Cartoons and music were his outlets, and he shares his love of them in his drawings. Simultaneously, he explains to readers about the history of Share Cropping and other relevant events. The story balances Pedro's mix of optimism and humor while still sharing how close his family was and what they and others went through, including with immigration raids on some of the farm workers. The design of Mexikid is one that I show students and staff, how art in graphic novels complements the text and helps move the story, how the coloring and style changes to convey different times and parts of the story. Mexikid Dreams is no different, and I can't wait to get a physical copy for my library because I know it will be even better looking in person. Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for this ARC!

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pedro Martin's contributions to juvenile literature can stop here and no one would be mad. But he should continue and this one was equally funny and serious and it's ending was storytelling perfection (though it's a graphic novel memoir so his grounding in reality wrapping it up in a bow for readers to move on to other stories).

Martin focuses this story, not on the road trip to get his grandfather from Mexico, but now about his entire family working the strawberry fields while managing school and his instrument living solidly in the 70s with plenty of references to the time period that feels more contemporary than historical. Kids can learn about bands and musicians of the time period but also superheroes and characters like The Incredible Hulk.

Martin's humor is unmatched. He blends the seriousness of their financial situation and long days in the fields with items like the outhouses and strawberry wars and his father always adding an "e" in front of words. There are the ghosts of the musicians in the fields and his mother's food pushing love of the family. It all comes together in an adventurous exploration of being a sharecropping kid with big dreams of music and comics but a whole lot of love for his big family.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so great. I love seeing these kind of things for kids. I mean, honestly for everybody, but especially for kids to be able to read and understand and get knowledge and information through a way. That's still fun and interesting. I'm a growing adult with grandchildren, and will definitely be buying a hardcover copy of this. When it comes out, my children are first generation, Honduran Americans, their stepdad, is an immigrant from Mexico and he did a lot of migrant farm working, hen he was growing up in the the 60s and 70s, and as a white person, growing up in the Midwest, I didn't know a lot about it. Just the very little bit you get in school about sharecropping and migrant farming, which is not very much. And I was appalled when I learned how these things worked when I got older and learning how people were paid and treated and housed and this is a great history lesson, and a way to get understanding of what happened in history (and atill happens) in an interesting way that kids will relate to and like to read- i hope this author does more to explain other things. If they can, in a form like this, because there's so much that needs to be taught about the history of the struggle.

Thank you to net galley for the arc in exchange for an honest review

[Tugce Tuncdemir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Pedro Martín for sharing an advance copy of this book with me; it is a deeply reflective and memorable work. The book stayed with me as a powerful narrative about childhood shaped through strawberry sharecropping, family responsibility, and the different paths siblings ultimately carve for themselves. What I found especially compelling is how Martín captures memory—not just as a series of events, but as lived, emotional experiences connected to labor, culture, and identity. Even though I read the black-and-white advance copy, I could vividly imagine the colors—the memories felt incredibly vibrant, almost textured with movement and feeling. The contrast between shared beginnings and the siblings’ diverging futures is thoughtfully portrayed, showing how the same environment can lead to very different life trajectories. I also appreciated how the memoir reveals the author’s childhood and adolescence through an evolving lens, as his thinking and perspective shift in honest and nuanced ways. Overall, it’s a powerful reflection on family, labor, and identity that lingers well beyond the final page.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

10yo Pedro (who is about 13 by the end of the book) is back from Mexico with his family (8 brothers and sisters) Their restaurant has been damaged by an earthquake and so the family has moved to California where they are sharecroppers, picking strawberries. Everyone helps, all hands are needed to make ends meet. But when the oldest brother gets a job at a lumberyard, Pedro starts making a plan to get out of working too - he wants to draw (and watch cartoons). But when a friend at school encourages Pedro to join the band, he rethinks his plan. Now he wants to plan the trombone!

Pedro Martin is so funny, and this series is delightful. I love how he shows the sibling interactions, funny names for the outhouse and the way they work in the fields. I also loved how he really showed the plight of the share croppers, the difficulty making a profit and a danger experienced by undocumented people (in 1977) who were desperate for work so they could send money home. A great companion which can stand alone to Mexikid. The family is Mexican with some of the children first generation American

[Dolores · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Edelweiss for the arc. Mexikid was a glimpse into a life-a road trip, but this is a look behind the curtain. Circumstances land the entire family on a strawberry farm. They are sharecroppers, so to keep costs down all the kids work the fields. Pedro dreams of being a "normal" kid. Of watching cartoons, visiting the beach and having an even tan. But the strawberries don't care about his dreams. When oldest brother Sal is released from working in the fields because he gets an outside job and "has a plan" Pedro is inspired. All he needs is the plan and cartoon-watching is locked in. He seizes on music as his plan because his father loves the idea of one of his kids being a mariachi. But does Pedro have the talent to make it happen? And does he really want to? The love and strength of this family shines throughout, as does the laughter. The strawberry fights were a hoot. Just wonderful.

[L.A. Montgomery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pedro Martín has done it again, another amazing story! I absolutely loved the first Mexikid book, so I was super excited for book 2!

Pedro is back, and he is sick of strawberries! His family works as sharecroppers in a strawberry field which means that he has to help with busy season. Pedro doesn't want to pick strawberries anymore though, he wants to be a trombone player, or maybe an artist, he hasn't quite decided yet!

As Pedro struggles with wanting independence, but also guilt at wanting to leave his family in the strawberry fields, he learns more about his parents past. He sees that there are still injustices happening, things that he has no control over. I think these topics need to be read about, especially today. Like the first book, Mexikid Dreams is filled with both laugh-out-loud humor and heartwarming family dynamics.

Also, did I mention the amazing graphics! I really like Martín's drawing style, it fits the story perfectly. I love how the pictures are able to convey so much more meaning than you would get by just reading the words.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for an arc of this book! All opinions are my own.

[Kim Cabanting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mexikid Dreams is a funny and heartfelt graphic memoir about family, identity, and discovering what it truly means to be free. Martín captures Pedro’s childhood in the strawberry fields, where long days under the hot sun are brightened by sibling “strawberry wars,” music on the radio, and the unbreakable bonds of family.

As Pedro dreams of a life beyond the fields, he begins to understand the sacrifices his parents and abuelito made to give him opportunities they never had. Martín beautifully shows that growing up isn’t simply about leaving your past behind; it’s about understanding where you come from and using that knowledge to imagine your own future. Mexikid Dreams is a celebration of family, heritage, and the courage to dream beyond the life you’ve been given. Readers will laugh with Pedro, root for him, and close the book with a deeper appreciation for the generations whose dreams make our own possible.

[TheNextGenLibrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The follow up to the critically acclaimed MG memoir, Mexikid.
🍓
Young Pedro spends his weekends and summers picking strawberries alongside his Mexican-American family while dreaming of a different future. As he learns more about his family’s sacrifices and experiences with immigration, Pedro begins to understand how his heritage has shaped the opportunities he has, and finds the courage to imagine his own path.
🍓
I loved the mix of humor, family, and history in this graphic novel memoir. Pedro’s frustration with working in the strawberry fields feels so authentic, but so does his growing understanding of everything his family sacrificed to give him choices. The immigration experiences, family stories, music, and artwork add so much heart. Funny, meaningful, and incredibly accessible for middle grade readers. This title releases September 1!

CW: immigration, fear of deportation, racism, discrimination, poverty, child labor

[Samantha Sunderman-Drakeford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Pedro Martin, Penguin Young Readers Group, and NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to preview Mexikid Dreams in exchange for my sincere review.

This is my second Mexikid book and I am hooked. Martin not only wrote about his own personal life, but has taught others more about his Mexican heritage. To make ends meet, Pedro and the rest of his extremely large family have to work in the Strawberry Farms throughout the year. The children do not want to stay in the fields forever and are busy coming up with bigger and brighter future plans! I think the decision to include the hardships of working in the fields and immigration realities provides an insight into the author’s life and how important family can be in those difficult times!

This was a heartwarming graphic novel memoir and
I will definitely be including this in my middle school library collection!

[Jeni Enjaian]

(I do not rate memoirs.)
Even though this book is technically a follow up to Martin’s first memoir, it can be read separately. I really appreciated how Martin told his family story, a story of hard-working immigrants displaced by the earthquake in the 70s and now a sharecropping family. Martin explains the mechanism of sharecropping and connect it to its more well-known examples in the south and showing how it continues to be used as a way to put the marginalized on a lower level so that the status quo can continue. He weaves together this final issue with the typical concerns of a middle school boy who would rather draw and watch TV in a way that relate to the target audience. I will definitely search out a hardcopy of this book once it publishes and put it on my classroom shelves.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fantastic audio edition of the latest Mexikid middle grade graphic novel that follows a family of Mexican American immigrants living in California who survive by working as part of the field workers. There's great information about migrant field workers, forced immigration, and the challenges of growing up as a first gen child to immigrant parents. In this book Pedro tries really hard to convince his father to let him pursue his musical dreams of playing in a marichi band even though his father has other plans for his life. Amazing on audio with a full cast of narrators and sound effects and perfect for fans of books like A seed in the sun by Aida Salazar. Many thanks to @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a digital ARC from Penguin Young Readers Group via NetGalley. This companion to Mexikid is more of the same fantastic graphic novel memoir writing and illustrating as the first book. We continue to follow Pedro and his family, this time in the US working as sharecroppers in strawberry fields. Pedro brilliantly depicts his family life and being torn between being a kid and helping the family succeed in the fields. We see immigrant struggles, family life, his culture and so much more. Absolutely recommended for anyone young and old. I can’t say enough good things about these two books.

[Carol Youssif · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never thought the first book, Mexikid, could ever be topped... boy, was I wrong!
This memoir is a masterpiece. With humor and grace, the author tells us about the difficulties of sharecropping families and field workers. I really enjoyed that the story of migrant workers was included here, as well as the injustice surrounding this system.
The illustrations are arresting, and the color use is unmatched. Martin really is a powerhouse.
Mexikid Dreams is already my favorite book of 2026, and I suspect it'll take a whole lot to dethrone it.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mexikid was great but I think this follow up is even more important for kids and adults to read. It’s a kid’s eye view of sharecropping, hard farm work, migrant workers, INS, contributing to your family, and figuring out what you’re good at. The fact that these are all real people makes it even cooler. Even the hats the brothers wore matched the pictures! I enjoyed being able to read at the end of the dreams and paths that each sibling followed. ARC via Netgalley

[Bozhena Levine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Penguin Young Readers Group, Dial Books, and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this book. This is volume 2 of Pedro Martin’s graphic memoir where Pedro continues to narrate and describe another year in the life of his family in the United States and everything that entails. It is just as poignant as the first volume and I enjoyed it a lot.

[Danielle Mccoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this eBook from netGalley for a honest review.

I loved this book going back to this Mexican-American family and how they had to pull together to make the fields work for them and how ultimately they got to be kids by following their dreams. I will read anything Pedro Martin writes!

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What am I treating story about the life of a migrant working family. While the children helped their parents pick strawberries, each child had dreams of bigger and better things they wanted to do in life. This book made you see how hard the family worked to make ends meet while also honoring the people who came before them.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this even more than the original Mexikid... it was SO GOOD. What a story - and the backmatter makes it all the more meaningful. These books are powerful and beautifully done, but also incredibly engaging for middle grade readers. 5/5 for sure!

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story that so many kids should read about the importance of understand why you must work hard to get what you want and make your family proud.

[Patti Sabik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic sequel to Mexikid. I appreciated learning about life as sharecroppers and enjoyed glimpsing the love and laughter of the Martin family. The epilogue wrapped up the duology nicely.

[Tamsyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the continued adventures of Pedro and his 8 siblings in 1970s California. He relates his family stories in such a humorous and interesting way, I was engaged and laughing from the first lines/frames to the last. He has a wonderful style of storytelling, and so many interesting aspects of his life as he negotiates life as an immigrant farm kid while aspiring to be a "regular" Santa Cruz kid. As the family picks strawberries, they listen to music, and there's an interesting way he portrays his musical taste. Helping newly arrived immigrants, learning some history of how his family was affected by American policies when leaving Mexico, Pedro's obsession with Saturday morning cartoons and drawing, all told in an engaging way throughout this graphic novel.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy. Rush out and read this book (and the previous title, Mexikid, if you haven't) in September! (Publishes on the 1st.)

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great sequel. The illustrations are some of the best I’ve seen in graphic novels. They make something that happened in the 1970s relatable and entertaining for young readers. Thank you NetGalley