Tomás Takes Charge

by Charlene Joy Talbot, Reisie Lonette (Illustrator)

Two Hispanic immigrant children living in New York City are left on their own after their father doesn't return home one night. The older child, Fernanda, is severely agoraphobic and has never left their apartment, so her younger brother, Tomas, decides he will move them both into a nearby abandoned building to protect her from "welfare" while they wait for their father to return.

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Young Adult, Middle Grade

191 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1966

Reviews

[Aaron Gertler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book twice between the ages of 10 and 12. One of my mother's favorites from her childhood, and now also one of mine.

There's nothing "special" about the story. Two ordinary (but resourceful) children do their best to survive in the city without parents, and with a little bit of luck, they succeed (sort of, I think -- I don't remember the ending anymore).

As best I can remember, the realism drew me in -- the dialogue especially, since the author knows how children talk, but also the action. If I were an abandoned 10-year-old who'd been taught not to talk to strangers, I might very well start trying to wring spare change out of pay phones. Sometimes I'd be very scared, and sometimes I'd forget how much trouble I was in, and sometimes I'd put on a brave face for my little sister... yeah. Everything in this book just clicked for me.

[Shandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book at least 3 times as a kid. Partly, I used to run out of books to read and have to reread books, but I was also fascinated by the story! A young boy takes care of himself and his sister, scrounging for food, hiding them in a vacant apartment... I remember trying to remember his techniques for surviving, just in case, G-d forbid, I ever had to do so myself.

[Bart Gilbertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Years ago, when I was only 9 years old and in the 4th Grade (around the year 1977), we used to have what our teacher called "SSR" (Silent Sustained Reading) - where we would be given an hour every day to read a book of our choosing, silently, to ourselves. I looked forward to this, in fact, it was my favorite part of the school day. In our classroom, there was a spinning wire rack that contained all sorts of books, and the one I chose to read was, "Children In Hiding" by Charlene Joy Talbot. I was completely drawn into the world of 11-year-old, Tomás Lorca, and his 14-year-old sister, Fernanda. It touched my heart back then, and years later - after much searching and finally finding this book - it has touched my heart again.

After moving to the United States from Puerto Rico, the Lorca family settled down in Manhattan (circa late 1960's) where Tomás and Fernanda were raised primarily by their father and grandmother. After the passing of their grandmother however, and there were just the three of them, Tomás learned to become more self-reliant, while Fernanda went the other way and sought the security and shelter of their small apartment, afraid to venture anywhere outside. However, when their father one day does not come back home, they are faced with the very real possibility that they will be taken by Welfare to an unknown future. Tomás puts into action a plan he has that will keep them in the neighborhood, safe and undetected, until their father returns - as they learn to survive and rely on each other through some hard times, and some good. The older of the two, Fernanda, realizes that eventually, their lives in hiding cannot last, leading up to a realistic, yet heartwarming, conclusion.

I have been revisiting my past with re-reads of books that meant so much to me in my youth. I'm very happy I was able to track this one down again, and I read it in one sitting. As I finished reading the final page, I immediately wanted to flip right back to the first page and start it all over again. This is a special book. Yes, maybe that is due to its sentimentality, but even so, it was well written with a lot of caring and heart. Tomás, his sister, and all the other characters we are introduced to through the course of the story, have real depth and I loved every one of them. I was so taken with their situation and how they handled it, I could almost visualize myself there with them.

I highly recommend this to the young reader as well as the old. It will pull at your heartstrings, and it is well worth the time invested to read it. It isn't an easy book to find anymore, but if you have it within your means to do so, I know you'd be happy that you did. This is a personal favorite of mine. And now that I've added it to my own personal collection, I will be sure to read it yet again ... and again.

[R · Rating 5 out of 5]

**MINOR SPOILERS**
This book is a standalone. The original title was Tomas Takes Charge.
The book was written in 1921 but it is still easy to relate to the children in the story. Their father has disappeared and they do not know what to do. When their kindly landlady comes to visit, she tells them that she will call Welfare services. When Tomas and Fernanda hear this news, they do not want to leave because they are afraid that if their father comes back, he will not be able to find them. They devise a plan to hide.
Fernanda is 14 and Tomas is 10. Tomas is the braver and more resourceful of the two. Fernanda has agoraphobia because her grandmother never took her outside and refused to send her to school. Their mother died shortly after Tomas was born. During the story, Fernanda becomes a little more brave and it is wonderful to see.
They live in a warehouse district in New York where food comes into the city. Tomas is able to scavenge for the food which is very resourceful of him. He also finds an abandoned space for them to live while they wait for their father to return. Tomas is very caring of his sister.
While he is hiding out, he meets a nearby artist and they befriend each other.
Tomas and Fernanda are of Puerto Rican descent. It adds flavor to the story.
I like the triumph of the spirit story that the book tells. It would be a wonderful book for kids and adults to read. It also brings to light a story that still exists today: that children are alone and need help.

[Dee Martin]

Re-issued in paperback under title "Children in Hiding", book is part of sub-genre I call "kid Robinson Crusoe's on island of Manhattan". Other (and very different) examples include Slake's Limbo and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

rounded up to four stars because it's a really good "children surviving on their own" story, and I liked the not inconsiderable amount of the story that is Tomas scavenging for things on the streets, in abandoned buildings, on the docks, etc. for himself and his sister who has crippling agoraphobia. The rounding up was required because the happy ending came with much eyerolling -- a well-off young woman artist becomes the kids' savior, and I didn't buy it.

[Missy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book got me “ into reading” in the 1970s. It was called Children in Hiding when I read I it, not once but many times. I could just imagine Thomas taking care of his sister and being so loving to her and finding scraps of food to share with her while they faced homelessness and abandonment. I was thinking about this book over the summer and so happy I found a copy!

[rosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25/5

I've read it more than 3 times when I was a kid. It isn't anything special ig but it holds special place in my heart. As a kid, I was fascinated reading this book and my heart ached for Tomas and Fernanda. The last chapter made the little me cry so much.

[Bobby]

Same book as Children in Hiding

[Desertisland · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite childhood books (hardcover of 1966 "Young America Book Club" edition is titled TOMAS TAKES CHARGE). I too re-read this countless times as both young and old(er) reader.

Tho I never really made the connection with where Tomas's family came from (I think he was born after they moved) and myself, I first read it while living in Puerto Rico (where my ancestors also are from), maybe because we "don't look" Hispanic (other Europeans settled on La Isla Del Encanto as well as Spaniards during eras of exploration by boat!)

This book's appeal for me includes author's skill in bringing even minor characters to life, picturesque old neighborhoods (another main character is young woman book illustrator who strayed from artsy Greenwich area) and charm of Robinson Crusoe lifestyle. Like Crusoe, Tomas finds a lot of items to make a home, in city equivalent of beachcombing.

Fans of this book might also try 1966 KALLIE'S CORNER by Alice Low, and 1956 SENORITA OKAY by Nancy Hartwell.

[Nina Ely · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book (several times) when I was about 9 or 10, I think, and loved it. It's out of print, so I bought a used copy, and read the whole thing in one day. The characters are vivid, and the sense of place (New York City in the market district) is very strong. Of course, it's pretty dated (a bag of rice, for instance, costs 10 cents) but so are a lot of children's books.

I still think it's terrific, and it's a shame it's not in print. I actually had to create this book, that's how obscure it is.

[Desertisland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scholastic paperback edition is re-titled "Children In Hiding". (Didn't much care for sort of "sequel" titled something like Aunt Florrie's house, in which Tomas makes brief appearance and seems different (partly because he's speaking in English, rather than Spanish?)

I'm not sure how to put image here of book cover, so I put it in my profile photos... (If you can explain how or if I can add a book cover image, please let me know!)

[DeadlyDoom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. I loved how the brother showed his cleverness to help his sister.
Great book about family.