Juan

by Mary Stolz, Louis S. Glanzman (Illustrator)

Spelling out his every thought and action, aberrant or otherwise, the story of a dissatisfied Mexican orphan unfolds haltingly in a hush. Juan was a foundling as Concepcion's eight-year flashback reveals, and it was she (now sixteen) who had found him--on Casa Maria's doorstep in the rain. Hence her affection for him, editorially diagnosed as a desperate need to have someone to care for, editorially characterized as jealously protective; hence also Juan's own lies/dreams of having real parents somewhere who've just dropped him off for a while. But more even than parents Juan craves rubber boots, slick and bright red like the pair he once saw. . . and he gets them at last from a norteamericano couple, she the most beautiful mango-haired (?) lady and both so taken (in?) by him one day on the Plaza that they throw a great picnic for the entire orphanage, pinatas and all. When told that non-Mexicans cannot adopt Casa Maria's charges the couple depart, and Juan reconsiders his lot: the boots meanly antagonize the other children--he shall stow them in the ""personal-possessions closet""; clumsy Emilio and baby Luiscito, his mattress-mates, are truly good friends; and Concepcion does adore and understand him, as she proves again when he impulsively runs away to nowhere. Sister Angela is fine and fair too, so it's just Father Antonio whom Juan dislikes. . . and that's only bemuse living in mutual enmity with someone at least implies someone's attention. This look at, this interest in Juan's world would surely please him; whether the explicit testimony to the author's perceptiveness will please readers is uncertain--it's convincing but it's also sententious.

131 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1970

About the author

Mary Stolz was a noted author for children and adolescents whose novels earned critical praise for the seriousness with which they took the problems of young people. Two of her books ''Belling the Tiger'' (1961) and ''The Noonday Friends'' (1965), were named Newbery Honor books by the ALA but it was her novels for young adults that combined romance with realistic situations that won devotion from her fans. Young men often created more problems and did not always provide happy ever after endings. Her heroines had to cope with complex situations and learn how to take action whether it was working as nurses (The Organdy Cupcakes), living in a housing project (Ready or Not), or escaping from being a social misfit by working for the summer as a waitress (The Sea Gulls Woke Me).

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this children's book due to the affection I have for Stolz's book, Noonday Friends. It was a favorite of mine at 9 or 10. I am sure I would have like this book more at that age than now.