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Coming Up Cuban
From Pura Belpré Honoree and Emmy-award winning actor Sonia Manzano--best known as "Maria" from Sesame Street--comes the expansive and timeless story of four children who must carve out a path for themselves in the wake of Fidel Castro's rise to power. Fifteen-time Emmy Award winner and Pura Belpre honoree Sonia Manzano examines the impact of the 1959 Cuban Revolution on four children from very different walks of life. In the wake of a new regime in Cuba, Ana, Miguel, Zulema, and Juan learn to find a place for themselves in a world forever changed. In a tumultuous moment of history, we see the lasting effects of a revolution in Havana, the countryside, Miami, and New York. Through these snapshot stories, we are reminded that regardless of any tumultuous times, we are all forever connected in our humanity.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published August 2, 2022
14 people are currently reading
1590 people want to read
About the author
Sonia Manzano
24 books86 followersSonia Manzano (born June 12, 1950) is an American actress and writer. She is best known for playing Maria on Sesame Street from 1971 until her retirement in 2015.
Manzano was born in New York City and was raised in South Bronx. Her parents moved to New York from Puerto Rico. Manzano attended the High School of Performing Arts, where she began her acting career. She attended Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh on a scholarship.
In her junior year, she came to New York to star in the original production of the off-Broadway show GodspellManzano joined the production of Sesame Street in 1971, where she eventually began writing scripts for the series. On June 29, 2015, it was announced that Manzano would be retiring from the show after 44 years.
She has performed on the New York stage, in the critically acclaimed theatre pieces The Vagina Monologues and The Exonerated. She has written for the Peabody Award-winning children's series, Little Bill, and has written a parenting column for the Sesame Workshop web site called "Talking Outloud".
In 1979, the Supersisters trading card set was produced and distributed; one of the cards featured Manzano's name and picture.
Her children's book No Dogs Allowed, published by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing in 2004, is one of five books selected by the General Mills initiative "Spoonfuls of Stories". As part of that effort, Manzano is working with General Mills and its nonprofit partner, First Book, to encourage children to read and to help children across the United States gain access to books. The book has been adapted as a stage play. She is also the author of The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano (2014).
She has served on the March of Dimes Board; the board of the George Foster Peabody Awards; and the board of a New York City theatrical institution, Symphony Space. She is a member of the board of advisors of the Project Sunshine Book Club. She was featured in the Learning Leaders (volunteers helping students succeed) poster, designed to encourage reading in NYC public schools.
Manzano was nominated twice for an Emmy Award as Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series. As a writer for Sesame Street, Manzano won 15 Emmy Awards. In 2004, she was inducted into the Bronx Hall of Fame.
Manzano has received awards from the Association of Hispanic Arts, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families, the Hispanic Heritage Award for Education in 2003, and the "Groundbreaking Latina Lifetime Achievement" award from the National Association of Latina Leaders in 2005. She received a Doctor of Fine Arts degree from University of Notre Dame in 2005. As in Ms. Manzano's case, a D.F.A. is typically an honorary degree conferred to someone who has made a significant contribution to society in the arts. The Dream Big Initiative of the Bronx Children's Museum honored Manzano in 2014.
Manzano resides in the Upper West Side of Manhattan with her husband Richard Reagan, whom she married in 1986, and their daughter Gabriella.
(from Wikipedia)
Manzano was born in New York City and was raised in South Bronx. Her parents moved to New York from Puerto Rico. Manzano attended the High School of Performing Arts, where she began her acting career. She attended Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh on a scholarship.
In her junior year, she came to New York to star in the original production of the off-Broadway show GodspellManzano joined the production of Sesame Street in 1971, where she eventually began writing scripts for the series. On June 29, 2015, it was announced that Manzano would be retiring from the show after 44 years.
She has performed on the New York stage, in the critically acclaimed theatre pieces The Vagina Monologues and The Exonerated. She has written for the Peabody Award-winning children's series, Little Bill, and has written a parenting column for the Sesame Workshop web site called "Talking Outloud".
In 1979, the Supersisters trading card set was produced and distributed; one of the cards featured Manzano's name and picture.
Her children's book No Dogs Allowed, published by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing in 2004, is one of five books selected by the General Mills initiative "Spoonfuls of Stories". As part of that effort, Manzano is working with General Mills and its nonprofit partner, First Book, to encourage children to read and to help children across the United States gain access to books. The book has been adapted as a stage play. She is also the author of The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano (2014).
She has served on the March of Dimes Board; the board of the George Foster Peabody Awards; and the board of a New York City theatrical institution, Symphony Space. She is a member of the board of advisors of the Project Sunshine Book Club. She was featured in the Learning Leaders (volunteers helping students succeed) poster, designed to encourage reading in NYC public schools.
Manzano was nominated twice for an Emmy Award as Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series. As a writer for Sesame Street, Manzano won 15 Emmy Awards. In 2004, she was inducted into the Bronx Hall of Fame.
Manzano has received awards from the Association of Hispanic Arts, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families, the Hispanic Heritage Award for Education in 2003, and the "Groundbreaking Latina Lifetime Achievement" award from the National Association of Latina Leaders in 2005. She received a Doctor of Fine Arts degree from University of Notre Dame in 2005. As in Ms. Manzano's case, a D.F.A. is typically an honorary degree conferred to someone who has made a significant contribution to society in the arts. The Dream Big Initiative of the Bronx Children's Museum honored Manzano in 2014.
Manzano resides in the Upper West Side of Manhattan with her husband Richard Reagan, whom she married in 1986, and their daughter Gabriella.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
November 8, 2022
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
After Fidel Castro's revolution in Cuban in 1959, things were very complicated. The important thing to remember is that Castro was against Bautista's US backed regime, which means that most of the books I've read about this time period by US author, many whose families fled Cuban because of these events, paint a portrait of the revolution being a bad thing. I tried very hard to remember that many people stayed in Cuba, and that Castro ruled for many, many years and was succeeded by his brother Raul. ANY book about this place and time will be extremely complicated, so it is interesting to see different views like Patterson's My Brigadista Year, Gonzalez's The Red Umbrella, and Cuevas Cuba in My Pocket. It seems a little problematic to me that Manzano, who was raised in New York City by parents who were from Puerto Rico, would be the one to tell this story, but given how complicated the situation is and was, perhaps an outsider's view is helpful? I did enjoy the wide variety of characters represented.
Told from four different viewpoints, we see events unfold, and the characters intersect in interesting ways. Ana's family has been suffering because their father has been off fighting on behalf of Castro. When he comes home, she hardly recognizes him, but he becomes an important person in Castro's government. She isn't quite as sure that the Revolution is good, but wants to believe her father. When he gets in trouble for writing a letter critisizing the Revolution, he is put in jail. When tragedy strikes, Ana and her mother flee and live with a relative in the US.
Zulema lives in the country and is part of a group that Ana's father would term guajiro; the peasant farming class. I don't know what the percentage of the Cuban population would fall into this category, but Zulema's family is more concerned with surviving. When people from Castro's government come to their homes and farms and demand they put up teachers in their homes and take classes from them, Zulema and her family are conflicted; she wants to learn to read, but why do the people think they can both push her family around AND tell them that now everyone is equal? One of Ana's friends, whose family also supported Castro, ends up in Zulema's village as a brigadista, working to teach people to read.
Miguel is a pampered boy whose parents send him to the US as part of Operation Pedro Pan. He is at a school, but when that becomes over crowded, he is afraid he will have to go into foster care. His parents, with whom he stays in contact, are trying to leave Cuba and eventually join him.
Juan, an Afro Cuban boy whose parents went to the US but were killed in a traffic accident there, is being raised by his grandfather, who runs a fruit cart. His health is failing, and Juan worries about his future. His best friend Paco is heavily invested in being a pionero, and whole heartedly supports Castro, but Juan isn't sure about the violence he is seeing that is justified by the Revolution.
Ultimately, I think this works. While the overall sentiment is slightly anti-Castro, there is a lot of balanced insight into why some people supported the Revolution, or were simply divided about how to feel. This seems realistic. There are many, many books about the Holocaust that are not written by Jewish people from Germany. Is there a space for books about the Cuban Revolution that are not written by people with Cuban heritage? The Holocaust was very black and white; the Cuban revolution is this way to many... on both sides. That's why this is an interesting and well-researched book that could start a lot of conversations about recent history that still affects people's lives. Not everyone will agree with this.
After Fidel Castro's revolution in Cuban in 1959, things were very complicated. The important thing to remember is that Castro was against Bautista's US backed regime, which means that most of the books I've read about this time period by US author, many whose families fled Cuban because of these events, paint a portrait of the revolution being a bad thing. I tried very hard to remember that many people stayed in Cuba, and that Castro ruled for many, many years and was succeeded by his brother Raul. ANY book about this place and time will be extremely complicated, so it is interesting to see different views like Patterson's My Brigadista Year, Gonzalez's The Red Umbrella, and Cuevas Cuba in My Pocket. It seems a little problematic to me that Manzano, who was raised in New York City by parents who were from Puerto Rico, would be the one to tell this story, but given how complicated the situation is and was, perhaps an outsider's view is helpful? I did enjoy the wide variety of characters represented.
Told from four different viewpoints, we see events unfold, and the characters intersect in interesting ways. Ana's family has been suffering because their father has been off fighting on behalf of Castro. When he comes home, she hardly recognizes him, but he becomes an important person in Castro's government. She isn't quite as sure that the Revolution is good, but wants to believe her father. When he gets in trouble for writing a letter critisizing the Revolution, he is put in jail. When tragedy strikes, Ana and her mother flee and live with a relative in the US.
Zulema lives in the country and is part of a group that Ana's father would term guajiro; the peasant farming class. I don't know what the percentage of the Cuban population would fall into this category, but Zulema's family is more concerned with surviving. When people from Castro's government come to their homes and farms and demand they put up teachers in their homes and take classes from them, Zulema and her family are conflicted; she wants to learn to read, but why do the people think they can both push her family around AND tell them that now everyone is equal? One of Ana's friends, whose family also supported Castro, ends up in Zulema's village as a brigadista, working to teach people to read.
Miguel is a pampered boy whose parents send him to the US as part of Operation Pedro Pan. He is at a school, but when that becomes over crowded, he is afraid he will have to go into foster care. His parents, with whom he stays in contact, are trying to leave Cuba and eventually join him.
Juan, an Afro Cuban boy whose parents went to the US but were killed in a traffic accident there, is being raised by his grandfather, who runs a fruit cart. His health is failing, and Juan worries about his future. His best friend Paco is heavily invested in being a pionero, and whole heartedly supports Castro, but Juan isn't sure about the violence he is seeing that is justified by the Revolution.
Ultimately, I think this works. While the overall sentiment is slightly anti-Castro, there is a lot of balanced insight into why some people supported the Revolution, or were simply divided about how to feel. This seems realistic. There are many, many books about the Holocaust that are not written by Jewish people from Germany. Is there a space for books about the Cuban Revolution that are not written by people with Cuban heritage? The Holocaust was very black and white; the Cuban revolution is this way to many... on both sides. That's why this is an interesting and well-researched book that could start a lot of conversations about recent history that still affects people's lives. Not everyone will agree with this.
June 18, 2025
An enjoyable historical fiction read that gives a lot of insight into daily life for Cubans during and after Fidel's takeover. 3.25/5
January 17, 2023
Really enjoyed this middle grade book. Learned a lot about when Fidel first gained power in Cuba from the point of view of 4 very different school children.
December 31, 2023
DD2 brought this book home. When I saw that it was by María from Sesame Street (Sonia Manzano) and about Cuban kids during the time of the Revolution, I had to read it myself.
You might associate Manzano with early childhood, but this is a chapter book that to me straddles middle grades and young adult. The book has 4 sections, each of which features a different adolescent. They represent different social classes and locations, although their lives are connected. Some end up in the US, some don’t. Manzano doesn’t judge characters for their choices to stay or leave. She also does well presenting the positive and negative aspects of the early revolution, from those first moments of triumph to the signs that the honeymoon is over. Even as she shows the quashing of dissent and the culture of surveillance that develops with the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, she also shows the idealism and success of the literacy brigades.
One of the kids, Miguel, leaves Cuba as part of Operation Pedro Pan and is placed at the Florida City camp. As the daughter of a Pedro Pan kid who was at Florida City, I noticed that a couple of details were off. There was no pool there, and housing was with houseparents rather than barracks. That said, Manzano’s depiction matches what I have read about Kendall Camp, one of the other Pedro Pan camps.
Although the kids’ stories are front and center and offer a lot in and of themselves, I like how Manzano doesn’t overlook the adult characters. We see Ana’s mom struggle with depression after leaving Cuba. Miguel’s parents have some unrealistic and classist expectations when they arrive in the US. Zulema’s dad is annoyed by the literacy brigades because he sees it as something he never asked for. And Juan’s grandfather offers a philosophical take on surviving and thriving in Cuba.
Manzano includes a timeline, author’s note, and further reading suggestions at the end of the book, which are especially helpful to readers who don’t know Cuban history.
You might associate Manzano with early childhood, but this is a chapter book that to me straddles middle grades and young adult. The book has 4 sections, each of which features a different adolescent. They represent different social classes and locations, although their lives are connected. Some end up in the US, some don’t. Manzano doesn’t judge characters for their choices to stay or leave. She also does well presenting the positive and negative aspects of the early revolution, from those first moments of triumph to the signs that the honeymoon is over. Even as she shows the quashing of dissent and the culture of surveillance that develops with the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, she also shows the idealism and success of the literacy brigades.
One of the kids, Miguel, leaves Cuba as part of Operation Pedro Pan and is placed at the Florida City camp. As the daughter of a Pedro Pan kid who was at Florida City, I noticed that a couple of details were off. There was no pool there, and housing was with houseparents rather than barracks. That said, Manzano’s depiction matches what I have read about Kendall Camp, one of the other Pedro Pan camps.
Although the kids’ stories are front and center and offer a lot in and of themselves, I like how Manzano doesn’t overlook the adult characters. We see Ana’s mom struggle with depression after leaving Cuba. Miguel’s parents have some unrealistic and classist expectations when they arrive in the US. Zulema’s dad is annoyed by the literacy brigades because he sees it as something he never asked for. And Juan’s grandfather offers a philosophical take on surviving and thriving in Cuba.
Manzano includes a timeline, author’s note, and further reading suggestions at the end of the book, which are especially helpful to readers who don’t know Cuban history.
July 10, 2022
The stories of these four youngsters, creating new lives in the midst of upheaval, will resonate with their readers. The dangers of what happens when people blindly follow a fanatical leader, and turn against family and friends in those beliefs, serve as cautionary tales towards the times in which we live. Read more about this book on my blog: https://shouldireaditornot.wordpress....
July 5, 2024
I like that this is four stories so we can see the various types of situations and decisions made in Cuba when Fidel Castro took over. The audio book readers were excellent.
Content considerations: a few discussions about training bras and breasts, a boy jokes about a scorpion being attached to his “peepee,” jokes about poop, “hell,” “damn,” knife driven into a tiger’s eyes (read from a book), short description of two people killed in a crash and found with bike gears around their necks
Content considerations: a few discussions about training bras and breasts, a boy jokes about a scorpion being attached to his “peepee,” jokes about poop, “hell,” “damn,” knife driven into a tiger’s eyes (read from a book), short description of two people killed in a crash and found with bike gears around their necks
August 2, 2025
This was a bit difficult to read but also good to read. I appreciated the perspective from young people’s lenses as they went through something so horrific. I grew up hearing many of those stories but mainly from the adults who left. I read the English version, but may also read the Spanish version sometime.
July 14, 2025
I gave it four stars because it gave a very authentic and real view into Cuba. It is geared towards younger readers but I think everyone should read it. It's fictional but based on true events and I like how no one is demonized for leaving Cuba or staying in Cuba, it just is. Having the four different stories which represent the different viewpoints was such an education for me! I was a political science major in college and I think this book would have been really helpful for me to read in college just to get another perspective on Cuba. And through it all, it is hopeful but in an authentic way not in a cheesy no way is this possible way.
July 3, 2024
Very good young adult book about Cuba and the different lives/facets of what took place when Fidel won his revolution and then became a dictator himself turning on all of his fellow fighters. It follows 4 kids as their lives change irrevocably due to the Revolution. I have also read My Year as a Brigadista and knew about Padre Pan in the States, so this went along with some of the other things I have learned. Fast to read and enlightening. I was delighted to find out the author was the creator of the character Maria in Sesame Street and that she also helped to write the musical Godspell. I was pretty surprised that she was NOT Cuban and instead Puerto Rican but saw many parallels in Caribbean countries that she could draw from. Worth the read.
July 26, 2022
I picked up this book to learn about Fidel Castro’s dictatorship in Cuba, but was sorely disappointed.
While it did give me information on how people reacted to Castro, and had a diverse cast of characters, it didn’t do a very good job of showing what Castro did and his rise to power.
Additionally, the writing was pretty bad, and not at all descriptive or enjoyable to read. The timeline didn’t make sense, and there was no diversity in age range.
1 star if it wasn’t for the informational value, and I would not recommend to advanced readers.
While it did give me information on how people reacted to Castro, and had a diverse cast of characters, it didn’t do a very good job of showing what Castro did and his rise to power.
Additionally, the writing was pretty bad, and not at all descriptive or enjoyable to read. The timeline didn’t make sense, and there was no diversity in age range.
1 star if it wasn’t for the informational value, and I would not recommend to advanced readers.
December 30, 2022
Some Cuban history along with a compelling story. Multiple points of view also.
January 19, 2024
This is a great middle grades novel that does a great job describing how the Revolution Cuba affected four different young folks.
January 21, 2024
I really enjoyed this book. It made me want to learn more about Cuba and Fidel Castro. I like hearing the stories of the different children.
January 18, 2023
This amazing book looks at two years of fallout after the Cuban Revolution (1959-1961), through the eyes of 4 teens.
Divided into 4 sections, the book shows how different classes of citizens were affected by the rise of Castro and changes in the country. The thread that connects the four stories is an event: each was present and witnessed bird droppings land on the head of Fidel Castro when speaking to a crowd of Cubans. First story: Ana Reyes' middle class father spent years away from home fighting as a revolutionist for Castro. When he returns home after Castro has taken control, he sees Castro is not carrying through with his promises to the people. He begins writing letters that the dictator views as critical of him, so is hauled away to jail where he has a "heart attack" and dies. Ana and her mother flee and land in New York, where they must learn the language and culture. Second: Miguel. From the elite class, Miguel has had an easy life with servants attending to his needs. His parents send him to a Miami orphanage "for his safety", where he is bullied for being overweight and begins to learn to fend for himself, then transferred to another orphanage in New York where his parents pick him up after seven months of separation. The family settles in the Miami area. Third: Zulema is the only daughter of a farmer. When Castro's brigadistas arrived to teach everyone how to read (to achieve his 100% literacy goal), Zulema's father resists because he is concerned about the counterrevolutionists who are killing the teachers and destroying crops to stop the education of the people. All Zulema wants is to be able to read the book Ana gave her. Fourth: Orphan Juan lives and works with his abuelo, the local fruit vendor. The two resent what the revolution has done to their country. His abuelo has a health crisis and benefits due to the nationalized medicine now available to him. When Juan's best friend Paco (whose parents are Castro followers and he a dedicated member of the pioneros) turns in Don Reyes for contraband items, Juan severs ties with his friend and dreams of the day he will escape Cuba.
Manzano relies largely on dialog and action to convey the story - less on description of each place. She includes a few Spanish words in the text; most are familiar to English-speakers. The few that are not are translated within the text. There is a strong sense of danger and turbulence in the lives of each teen. The cover depicts Ana and Miguel as white Latino, Zulema as brown skinned, and Juan as Black Hispanic. The scenarios are believable, and the story resolution for each satisfying. I loved the nod to Sesame Street in Zulema's story; a couple in the class learning their alphabet and how to read is "Maria and Luis". She weaves in analogies such as learning how to read/write is like combing tangles out of hair = you start with the big things and drill down. The passion and love each has for Cuba is loud and clear; it is heartbreaking for those who find they need to leave the country to survive and empowering for those who stay behind to improve it.
Don't miss Manzano's author's note in the back; she discusses how she as a Bronx-born Puerto Rican wrote this story about Cuban history. Very enlightening on her process. Other backmatter includes a few facts about Cuba, a timeline (1953-1961) from Castro's rise through the end of this book, and resources she used (includes a few that are books for children).
This book humanizes the citizens affected by war, showing not every teen experienced the same problems and dangers. Excellent for a unit on Hispanic studies, the Cuban Revolution, and the effects of war on its citizens.
Highly Recommended for grades 5-9.
Divided into 4 sections, the book shows how different classes of citizens were affected by the rise of Castro and changes in the country. The thread that connects the four stories is an event: each was present and witnessed bird droppings land on the head of Fidel Castro when speaking to a crowd of Cubans. First story: Ana Reyes' middle class father spent years away from home fighting as a revolutionist for Castro. When he returns home after Castro has taken control, he sees Castro is not carrying through with his promises to the people. He begins writing letters that the dictator views as critical of him, so is hauled away to jail where he has a "heart attack" and dies. Ana and her mother flee and land in New York, where they must learn the language and culture. Second: Miguel. From the elite class, Miguel has had an easy life with servants attending to his needs. His parents send him to a Miami orphanage "for his safety", where he is bullied for being overweight and begins to learn to fend for himself, then transferred to another orphanage in New York where his parents pick him up after seven months of separation. The family settles in the Miami area. Third: Zulema is the only daughter of a farmer. When Castro's brigadistas arrived to teach everyone how to read (to achieve his 100% literacy goal), Zulema's father resists because he is concerned about the counterrevolutionists who are killing the teachers and destroying crops to stop the education of the people. All Zulema wants is to be able to read the book Ana gave her. Fourth: Orphan Juan lives and works with his abuelo, the local fruit vendor. The two resent what the revolution has done to their country. His abuelo has a health crisis and benefits due to the nationalized medicine now available to him. When Juan's best friend Paco (whose parents are Castro followers and he a dedicated member of the pioneros) turns in Don Reyes for contraband items, Juan severs ties with his friend and dreams of the day he will escape Cuba.
Manzano relies largely on dialog and action to convey the story - less on description of each place. She includes a few Spanish words in the text; most are familiar to English-speakers. The few that are not are translated within the text. There is a strong sense of danger and turbulence in the lives of each teen. The cover depicts Ana and Miguel as white Latino, Zulema as brown skinned, and Juan as Black Hispanic. The scenarios are believable, and the story resolution for each satisfying. I loved the nod to Sesame Street in Zulema's story; a couple in the class learning their alphabet and how to read is "Maria and Luis". She weaves in analogies such as learning how to read/write is like combing tangles out of hair = you start with the big things and drill down. The passion and love each has for Cuba is loud and clear; it is heartbreaking for those who find they need to leave the country to survive and empowering for those who stay behind to improve it.
Don't miss Manzano's author's note in the back; she discusses how she as a Bronx-born Puerto Rican wrote this story about Cuban history. Very enlightening on her process. Other backmatter includes a few facts about Cuba, a timeline (1953-1961) from Castro's rise through the end of this book, and resources she used (includes a few that are books for children).
This book humanizes the citizens affected by war, showing not every teen experienced the same problems and dangers. Excellent for a unit on Hispanic studies, the Cuban Revolution, and the effects of war on its citizens.
Highly Recommended for grades 5-9.
July 30, 2022
Coming Up Cuban takes a look at Fidel Castro's rise to power through the eyes of four young Cubans and their families. Through multiple novellas, each centering on a different protagonist, Sonia Manzano offers various perspectives on a turbulent political uprising, allowing her to highlight the nuances of the situation while also breaking down complex ideas for middle grade readers. Filled with love, both for Cuba as well as its resilient peoples, Coming Up Cuban is a story full of joy and heartache that celebrates the vibrancy of Caribbean culture while educating readers on a crucial historical moment.
Coming Up Cuban keeps its politics centered on its target audience -- 9-12 year olds. Through their eyes, we see Cuba's transformation, demonstrating how political upheavals can effect every corner of a country. In this way, the book doesn't focus on fighting and war, but the aftereffects -- refugees scrambling to leave the country, schools closing, forced surrendering of property, new government initiatives, etc. The book also features a cast of characters from differing backgrounds -- poor to upper middle class -- that offer various perspectives on Castro's takeover -- from those who hate Castro and his changes (which seems to be the dominant opinion), to people who praise him, to people that agree with parts of his revolution but not all, etc. In this way, most perspectives are held on equal ground, with few "right" or "wrong" perspectives pushed to the forefront, allowing readers to form their own opinions on Castro's rule. This equalization of perspectives did have a limit. Every character seemed to hold America in high regard, as a land to escape to, full of compassionate people who were alluded to be outright saviors a few times. The only 'negative' opinion of the US came from older characters who did not want to immigrate, mostly due to a love of Cuba and an unwillingness to change. This felt a little propagandist to me, as the US was a long-term colonizer of Cuba after Spain and largely controlled the country until the revolution, so it feels disingenuous to paint the US only as saviour, when their involvement was just as nuanced as Fidel's. Considering the book has no problem showing multiple perspectives on the politics within Cuba, it would have been easy to add some diversity on the perspective toward America as well.
The book features four novellas, each focusing on a different character at different points during Fidel's early reign. The characters all know each other and so their stories overlap, thus building an overarching narrative while also allowing the story to branch in very different directions. Each novella focuses on a different aspect of Fidel's reign to educate readers while entertaining - Ana's section focuses on the revolution and sets the story, Migeul's section focuses on refugee and immigration struggles, Zulema's section focuses on literacy, and Juan's section focuses on radicalization. The novellas use simple but striking interpersonal conflicts to hook readers in and keep them emotionally invested in each novella.
Manzano's writing style is simple but elegant; no word is wasted. Everything given page space enhances the themes, plot, or characterization very deliberately, creating a satisfying read for those who wish to analyze the text on a deeper level. Yet the writing style is also incredibly accessible for its target audience. Manzano carefully utilizes simple language without simplifying the concepts explored, which shows her mastery of communication. The book balances darkness with some levity by injecting childlike silliness into the mix of uncertainty, giving the book an endearing quality at its core. The silliness also helps hooks young readers into the larger political story by promising some fun along the way.
All in all, Coming Up Cuban is a silly and heartfelt story filled with hope that pushes young readers to think, learn and empathize. Definitely worth adding to your shelves and sharing with your young ones. I chuckled, teared up, and enjoyed every moment of this Caribbean adventure intended for readers a third my age.
Coming Up Cuban keeps its politics centered on its target audience -- 9-12 year olds. Through their eyes, we see Cuba's transformation, demonstrating how political upheavals can effect every corner of a country. In this way, the book doesn't focus on fighting and war, but the aftereffects -- refugees scrambling to leave the country, schools closing, forced surrendering of property, new government initiatives, etc. The book also features a cast of characters from differing backgrounds -- poor to upper middle class -- that offer various perspectives on Castro's takeover -- from those who hate Castro and his changes (which seems to be the dominant opinion), to people who praise him, to people that agree with parts of his revolution but not all, etc. In this way, most perspectives are held on equal ground, with few "right" or "wrong" perspectives pushed to the forefront, allowing readers to form their own opinions on Castro's rule. This equalization of perspectives did have a limit. Every character seemed to hold America in high regard, as a land to escape to, full of compassionate people who were alluded to be outright saviors a few times. The only 'negative' opinion of the US came from older characters who did not want to immigrate, mostly due to a love of Cuba and an unwillingness to change. This felt a little propagandist to me, as the US was a long-term colonizer of Cuba after Spain and largely controlled the country until the revolution, so it feels disingenuous to paint the US only as saviour, when their involvement was just as nuanced as Fidel's. Considering the book has no problem showing multiple perspectives on the politics within Cuba, it would have been easy to add some diversity on the perspective toward America as well.
The book features four novellas, each focusing on a different character at different points during Fidel's early reign. The characters all know each other and so their stories overlap, thus building an overarching narrative while also allowing the story to branch in very different directions. Each novella focuses on a different aspect of Fidel's reign to educate readers while entertaining - Ana's section focuses on the revolution and sets the story, Migeul's section focuses on refugee and immigration struggles, Zulema's section focuses on literacy, and Juan's section focuses on radicalization. The novellas use simple but striking interpersonal conflicts to hook readers in and keep them emotionally invested in each novella.
Manzano's writing style is simple but elegant; no word is wasted. Everything given page space enhances the themes, plot, or characterization very deliberately, creating a satisfying read for those who wish to analyze the text on a deeper level. Yet the writing style is also incredibly accessible for its target audience. Manzano carefully utilizes simple language without simplifying the concepts explored, which shows her mastery of communication. The book balances darkness with some levity by injecting childlike silliness into the mix of uncertainty, giving the book an endearing quality at its core. The silliness also helps hooks young readers into the larger political story by promising some fun along the way.
All in all, Coming Up Cuban is a silly and heartfelt story filled with hope that pushes young readers to think, learn and empathize. Definitely worth adding to your shelves and sharing with your young ones. I chuckled, teared up, and enjoyed every moment of this Caribbean adventure intended for readers a third my age.
February 8, 2023
This book is actually a collection of four related stories about kids affected by Castro's take-over of Cuba. The first story tells of Ana who is the daughter of a revolutionary soldier and how she and her mother escaped Cuba. The second story is about Miguel, the son of a wealthy family, who went to the US and stayed in orphanages before his parents could join him. The third story (my personal favorite) is about Zulema, the daughter of a peasant farmer family in a rural area where no one could read and how their lives were forever changed when Castro sent tutors to teach everyone the basics of reading and writing. The final story is about Juan, an Afro-Cubano who stays with his grandfather in Cuba after Castro's take-over. Every character is mentioned in other characters' stories and their lives are interwoven by the events unfolding around them even through each takes a different path. Every character's story is told to completion, with each story being about 1/4 of the book.
One of the strengths of this book is the nuance is presents related to the Cuban revolution. The book includes references to the propaganda and violence involved, but also includes information about the literacy programs and socialized medicine that poorer communities benefited from under Castro's rule. The book is honest about what life would have been like for kids in various life circumstances at the time of the Revolution. There's references to many historical events throughout the book and non-fiction information provided at the end for readers to gather more information.
The book was balanced and well-written--each character is believable and relatable. The only reason I felt I could only give it 4 stars instead of 5 is the author's use of physical characteristics outside of the character's control as a reflection of the person's nature. The revolutionary who betrayed his comrade is portrayed several times as "Pimple-face" as if his acne is what makes him more likely to be untrustworthy. Miguel's "fat" is mentioned several times which other characters being disgusted by him because of his supposed fatness (this fatness is not supported by either the cover image nor the chapter opening picture). Because of this usage of portraying physical traits outside of the character's control as a reflection of the person's nature, I lowered my rating.
I recommend this book for students 9+/Grade 4+. It is ideal for students between 5th-7th grade (ages 10-13). Older students may also enjoy it, but will no longer relate to the issues facing 12 year olds as readily as books featuring older characters. This book would work well as a book study on perspectives as well as to teach inferences.
One of the strengths of this book is the nuance is presents related to the Cuban revolution. The book includes references to the propaganda and violence involved, but also includes information about the literacy programs and socialized medicine that poorer communities benefited from under Castro's rule. The book is honest about what life would have been like for kids in various life circumstances at the time of the Revolution. There's references to many historical events throughout the book and non-fiction information provided at the end for readers to gather more information.
The book was balanced and well-written--each character is believable and relatable. The only reason I felt I could only give it 4 stars instead of 5 is the author's use of physical characteristics outside of the character's control as a reflection of the person's nature. The revolutionary who betrayed his comrade is portrayed several times as "Pimple-face" as if his acne is what makes him more likely to be untrustworthy. Miguel's "fat" is mentioned several times which other characters being disgusted by him because of his supposed fatness (this fatness is not supported by either the cover image nor the chapter opening picture). Because of this usage of portraying physical traits outside of the character's control as a reflection of the person's nature, I lowered my rating.
I recommend this book for students 9+/Grade 4+. It is ideal for students between 5th-7th grade (ages 10-13). Older students may also enjoy it, but will no longer relate to the issues facing 12 year olds as readily as books featuring older characters. This book would work well as a book study on perspectives as well as to teach inferences.
August 27, 2022
The chaos in the immediate aftermath of the Cuban Revolution is brought to life in this middle grade novel. Through the eyes of four adolescents, the book shows readers how Castro’s programs affected everyday people – the middle class, the well off, the working poor and farmers.
Ana has just gotten used to her father again, after he was gone for two years fighting with the revolutionaries. Then, he is arrested and executed for penning a critical letter about Castro. She and her mother flee to the U.S. to start over. She copes by taking up her drawing pencil.
Miguel is the son of a protective, well off family, and is constantly urged to eat. When he is sent to the U.S. alone, under Operation Pedro Pan, he tries to make his way and make friends with kids from all economic and social groups. He is a different kid when his parents finally join him in the U.S.
Zulema is the illiterate daughter of illiterate farmers, but feels a spark when Brigadistas come to her village to teach. Under the Cuban Literacy Campaign, young people from the cities are sent to rural areas to spread literacy and Castro’s ideology. Zulema is thrilled to learn to read, but reading threatens to drive a wedge between her and her parents.
Juan lives with his abuelo, who is a fruit peddler. When his best friend Paco becomes indoctrinated by the youth group Pioneros, it feels like their friendship is over. And his elderly grandfather is very sick. What will happen to them?
I love that readers can learn about the Cuban revolution through the experience of young people. It’s especially interesting to see the influence that children can have on their parents, as they each navigate the changes differently. These interconnecting narratives can lead to discussions on race, class, poverty and history. Lovely quotations by poet José Martí precede each chapter, and there is back matter and a timeline for more information. Frequent Spanish words are largely understandable through context clues.
Ana has just gotten used to her father again, after he was gone for two years fighting with the revolutionaries. Then, he is arrested and executed for penning a critical letter about Castro. She and her mother flee to the U.S. to start over. She copes by taking up her drawing pencil.
Miguel is the son of a protective, well off family, and is constantly urged to eat. When he is sent to the U.S. alone, under Operation Pedro Pan, he tries to make his way and make friends with kids from all economic and social groups. He is a different kid when his parents finally join him in the U.S.
Zulema is the illiterate daughter of illiterate farmers, but feels a spark when Brigadistas come to her village to teach. Under the Cuban Literacy Campaign, young people from the cities are sent to rural areas to spread literacy and Castro’s ideology. Zulema is thrilled to learn to read, but reading threatens to drive a wedge between her and her parents.
Juan lives with his abuelo, who is a fruit peddler. When his best friend Paco becomes indoctrinated by the youth group Pioneros, it feels like their friendship is over. And his elderly grandfather is very sick. What will happen to them?
I love that readers can learn about the Cuban revolution through the experience of young people. It’s especially interesting to see the influence that children can have on their parents, as they each navigate the changes differently. These interconnecting narratives can lead to discussions on race, class, poverty and history. Lovely quotations by poet José Martí precede each chapter, and there is back matter and a timeline for more information. Frequent Spanish words are largely understandable through context clues.
March 2, 2023
This book was an enlightening account of the lives of 4 young Cubans during the years 1959-1961, when Fidel Castro came to power. Each of them has different experiences as Castro's policies and edicts come to pass. While health care and education improve, basic rights and freedoms are limited. Ana and her mother escape to the US after her father, a former revolutionary, dies in custody- jailed for coming to criticize the new government. Miguel is sent to the US on his own, many children will sent away from Cuba in an operation called Operation Pedro Pan, he experiences life in group homes, an orphanage and foster care. Zulema is a country girl who experiences Castro's program to bring about 100% literacy in the country. A young woman comes to her farm community to set up a school to teach reading to everyone, Zulema's resistant father included. Things don't go well, and the literacy teachers are threatened by counterrevolutionaries, but Zulema is able to continue her studies on her own and dreams of being a teacher. Juan helps his grandfather with his fruit cart, and endures the indoctrination that is a part of the schools, the Los pioneros. As his best friend and blood brother becomes a true believer, Juan resists.
These children show such resilience and hope and their stories are inspiring. More than that, I learned a lot about the Cuban revolution and how Castro planned to change and "improve" the country. While he did make noticeable improvements, the Cuban people essentially traded one dictator for another.
While Sonia Manzano is Puerto Rican, not Cuban, she has a strong voice and understanding of the subject matter and characters. I recommend this book to middle grade readers who want to learn more about this important part of world history and how it effected children like themselves.
These children show such resilience and hope and their stories are inspiring. More than that, I learned a lot about the Cuban revolution and how Castro planned to change and "improve" the country. While he did make noticeable improvements, the Cuban people essentially traded one dictator for another.
While Sonia Manzano is Puerto Rican, not Cuban, she has a strong voice and understanding of the subject matter and characters. I recommend this book to middle grade readers who want to learn more about this important part of world history and how it effected children like themselves.
July 17, 2023
Coming Up Cuban: Rising Past Castro’s Shadow by Sonia Manzano (2022) received starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and Booklist. This is a novel for middle schoolers. The subtitle, “Rising Past Castro’s Shadow,” in my mind, is the focus of this work.
How does an author bring historical events from another country to life for middle school readers – more than sixty years after the events happened? Manzano decided to tell the separate stories of four Cuban children who are each about 12 or 13 years old. The four young people are of different genders, classes, and races - they are Ana, Miguel, Zulema, and Juan. Each of their narratives paints a unique perspective around the impact of the rise of Fidel Castro in a turbulent 1959 Cuban Revolution and the life-altering effects on their families.
Each of their stories standalone as one unique family’s experience in their unique community. Each story is hugely different from the others while the general Revolution’s impact is a common thread that is a driving force within each of the accounts. These four dramatic tales represent four of the thousands of unique family reactions and adjustments that Cubans made because of the Revolution. The four accounts also display the complexity of the Revolution’s effect on life. Members of the families face their apprehensions, their confusion over the new rules, and the new expectations for citizens in the country.
Manzano created authentic characters that are facing decisions for themselves and those they love during a time that their country is recreating itself. Moreover, she created four fictional narratives that are compelling and will draw readers in.
Manzano is successfully innovative in her approach to children’s historical fiction. I recommend this book.
How does an author bring historical events from another country to life for middle school readers – more than sixty years after the events happened? Manzano decided to tell the separate stories of four Cuban children who are each about 12 or 13 years old. The four young people are of different genders, classes, and races - they are Ana, Miguel, Zulema, and Juan. Each of their narratives paints a unique perspective around the impact of the rise of Fidel Castro in a turbulent 1959 Cuban Revolution and the life-altering effects on their families.
Each of their stories standalone as one unique family’s experience in their unique community. Each story is hugely different from the others while the general Revolution’s impact is a common thread that is a driving force within each of the accounts. These four dramatic tales represent four of the thousands of unique family reactions and adjustments that Cubans made because of the Revolution. The four accounts also display the complexity of the Revolution’s effect on life. Members of the families face their apprehensions, their confusion over the new rules, and the new expectations for citizens in the country.
Manzano created authentic characters that are facing decisions for themselves and those they love during a time that their country is recreating itself. Moreover, she created four fictional narratives that are compelling and will draw readers in.
Manzano is successfully innovative in her approach to children’s historical fiction. I recommend this book.
June 27, 2023
This is my first fiction Deep Book I read. Coming Up Cuban: Rising Past Castro's Shadow which was written by Sonia Manzano. Coming Up Cuban was published April 12 2022 by Scholastic, so this book is one of the newest books I have ever read and the most recently published Deep Book I have ever read. Some other books Sonia Manzano has written include Becoming Maria, Miracle on 133rd street, A Box Full of Kittens, A World Together, and her first book: No Dogs Allowed. Sonia Manzano has written kind of across the board with 2 novels, a memoir and a lot of children's books. She also played Maria on Sesame Street from 1971-2015. I could not find any awards that the book has won. I assume that is because it was published so recently and it has not had time to earn any awards or notice. That said the author Sonia Manzano has won 15 Emmy awards, the Humanitarian Award, The Lifetime Achievement, the Raul Julia award, NPRDP’s honorary education leadership award, Kirucus best teen books of 2015, and twice nominated for an Emmy award as outstanding performer in children's series along with many many other awards that I did not list because I did not want this review to be all awards.
I would say that the central message of Coming Up Cuban is that the revolution and what happened after it was not all bad or all good in some ways it was good and in others it was not so good. And it was good and bad for the different characters in different ways and even the same ways although that did not happen much. The book took place in Cuba just after the Cuban Revolution or in other words the aftermath of the Cuban Revolution. The book was written in first person for the most part. As far as I can tell there was no super defined tone but if I had to say I would define it as light for the subject being discussed which is not a particular light subject although some parts do not fit that description. It has been a while since I read the book but I believe that the style of the book falls under narrative/descriptive writing.
Because there are 4 main characters they all have their own conflicts (by the way if you are going to read coming up Cuban do not read the next part). The first character Ana lives in a city in Cuba, and her main conflict is that she was the daughter of a high ranking rebel soldier but when the father sees things that are happening in the county that he does not agree with he speaks out and is jailed for it. Then he dies in jail a few days later. After that Ana and her mother leave the country and move to the USA. One thing that makes this character especially special is that she kind of links all of the other characters. I would say that would be categorized in man vs. society.
The next character is Megel who is related to Ana and is fairly well off in Cuba, he also has a food addiction. Then his parents send him to the US where he faces many challenges and finds several friends. He faces many challenges before his parents eventually meet back with him, but in that time he lives in several places and meets several bullies and makes one of them into a friend. I would say his conflict is man vs. self.
The next person went to live with Ana for a few weeks after her father was jailed. She lives in rural Cuba and is a farmer. The main part of this story is when one of Ana’s friend comes out to teach the village to read and write or in other words to make the village literate. She visits her house and she thought that her house would be a great place to teach at but her father is against change and says that they could not teach there he redubles his assurance that they can not teach there when the literacy teachers in the village are attacked by counterreverusanarys. He does no allow the main character to learn because he thinks the counterrevulusanarys are too dangerous so all the rest of the village becomes literate but not Zulueta and her parents but then she decides to teach her parents because she understands and after a bit of resistance they cave in and the whole village is literate. This one is hard but I would say this is man vs. man.
The last character is Juan and he lives in the city with his grandfather. They sell fruit together using a cart. He has a best friend named Paco and they go to a school that teaches about how good Fedel is and how bad the US is after the bay of pigs. Paco is lonely because his parents are away working spreading propaganda for the revulsion. When Paco’s parents come back he is ecstatic and goes with them on their next trip leaving Jaun. Then they disagreed on the revulsion and that broke up their relationship. This one I would say is a mix of all of the conflicts besides man vs. nature. The ending was fairly good but it did not have much of a conclusion. Thank you for reading the book and I hope you found this review helpful. I felt like this book gave me a deeper understanding of the Cuban revolution albeit I started off with a nonexistent one. I would recommend the book to someone who wants to read a deceptively deep book.
I would say that the central message of Coming Up Cuban is that the revolution and what happened after it was not all bad or all good in some ways it was good and in others it was not so good. And it was good and bad for the different characters in different ways and even the same ways although that did not happen much. The book took place in Cuba just after the Cuban Revolution or in other words the aftermath of the Cuban Revolution. The book was written in first person for the most part. As far as I can tell there was no super defined tone but if I had to say I would define it as light for the subject being discussed which is not a particular light subject although some parts do not fit that description. It has been a while since I read the book but I believe that the style of the book falls under narrative/descriptive writing.
Because there are 4 main characters they all have their own conflicts (by the way if you are going to read coming up Cuban do not read the next part). The first character Ana lives in a city in Cuba, and her main conflict is that she was the daughter of a high ranking rebel soldier but when the father sees things that are happening in the county that he does not agree with he speaks out and is jailed for it. Then he dies in jail a few days later. After that Ana and her mother leave the country and move to the USA. One thing that makes this character especially special is that she kind of links all of the other characters. I would say that would be categorized in man vs. society.
The next character is Megel who is related to Ana and is fairly well off in Cuba, he also has a food addiction. Then his parents send him to the US where he faces many challenges and finds several friends. He faces many challenges before his parents eventually meet back with him, but in that time he lives in several places and meets several bullies and makes one of them into a friend. I would say his conflict is man vs. self.
The next person went to live with Ana for a few weeks after her father was jailed. She lives in rural Cuba and is a farmer. The main part of this story is when one of Ana’s friend comes out to teach the village to read and write or in other words to make the village literate. She visits her house and she thought that her house would be a great place to teach at but her father is against change and says that they could not teach there he redubles his assurance that they can not teach there when the literacy teachers in the village are attacked by counterreverusanarys. He does no allow the main character to learn because he thinks the counterrevulusanarys are too dangerous so all the rest of the village becomes literate but not Zulueta and her parents but then she decides to teach her parents because she understands and after a bit of resistance they cave in and the whole village is literate. This one is hard but I would say this is man vs. man.
The last character is Juan and he lives in the city with his grandfather. They sell fruit together using a cart. He has a best friend named Paco and they go to a school that teaches about how good Fedel is and how bad the US is after the bay of pigs. Paco is lonely because his parents are away working spreading propaganda for the revulsion. When Paco’s parents come back he is ecstatic and goes with them on their next trip leaving Jaun. Then they disagreed on the revulsion and that broke up their relationship. This one I would say is a mix of all of the conflicts besides man vs. nature. The ending was fairly good but it did not have much of a conclusion. Thank you for reading the book and I hope you found this review helpful. I felt like this book gave me a deeper understanding of the Cuban revolution albeit I started off with a nonexistent one. I would recommend the book to someone who wants to read a deceptively deep book.
May 8, 2023
Having grown up with Sesame Street, I was excited to get the chance to meet Sonia Manzano and get a signed copy of this book at a recent conference. Having previously read Katherine Paterson's 'My Brigidista Year' and Alan Gratz's 'Refugee' I was somewhat familiar with this period of Cuba's history and how they overthrew one dictator only to end up with an even worse one instead of the freedom they thought they were fighting for.
This story tells about how these events affected the lives of four Cuban children and their families, in a style similar to Gratz's storytelling of multiple stories that end up being connected, except in reverse. Where the connection among the different stories and character's in Gratz's 'Refugee' and 'Two Degrees' is not completely revealed and brought together until the end, Manzano's characters come together at the beginning, and then are separated by the events of the revolution.
This was an enjoyable read, and I loved the homage to Sesame Street when Ana's aunt sends her to the market to get "a loaf of bread, a container of milk, and a stick of butter". <3
This story tells about how these events affected the lives of four Cuban children and their families, in a style similar to Gratz's storytelling of multiple stories that end up being connected, except in reverse. Where the connection among the different stories and character's in Gratz's 'Refugee' and 'Two Degrees' is not completely revealed and brought together until the end, Manzano's characters come together at the beginning, and then are separated by the events of the revolution.
This was an enjoyable read, and I loved the homage to Sesame Street when Ana's aunt sends her to the market to get "a loaf of bread, a container of milk, and a stick of butter". <3
July 10, 2022
AudioBook:
Amazing! Highly Recommend.
Sonia Manzano explores the impact of the 1959 Cuban Revolution on four young people from diverse backgrounds. The lives of Ana, Miguel, Zulema, and Juan, each represent different intersections of race during Fidel Castro’s rise to power in this powerful new novel by Manzano (fondly remembered as Maria on Sesame Street).
A cast of narrators brings life to the experiences of these all too real characters. As their experiences overlap, their voices and stories meld into the big picture of the Cuban experience during the Cuban Revolution. Each story is given the appropriate amount of attention and the narrator for each draws the reader into their story with their own style, pace, and Cuban accents. Special attention has been made to ensure the most authentic Cuban accents as possible, when appropriate.
Manzano herself has a special section at the end of the book where she discusses the timeline of events that occurred in the book, additional resources, as well as additional information about the Cuban Revolution. Manzano has created a remarkable novel as well as a learning resource, no small feat.
Amazing! Highly Recommend.
Sonia Manzano explores the impact of the 1959 Cuban Revolution on four young people from diverse backgrounds. The lives of Ana, Miguel, Zulema, and Juan, each represent different intersections of race during Fidel Castro’s rise to power in this powerful new novel by Manzano (fondly remembered as Maria on Sesame Street).
A cast of narrators brings life to the experiences of these all too real characters. As their experiences overlap, their voices and stories meld into the big picture of the Cuban experience during the Cuban Revolution. Each story is given the appropriate amount of attention and the narrator for each draws the reader into their story with their own style, pace, and Cuban accents. Special attention has been made to ensure the most authentic Cuban accents as possible, when appropriate.
Manzano herself has a special section at the end of the book where she discusses the timeline of events that occurred in the book, additional resources, as well as additional information about the Cuban Revolution. Manzano has created a remarkable novel as well as a learning resource, no small feat.
April 21, 2023
I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed hearing the different voices telling the story. I would highly recommend the audiobook if you're going to read this story. I really liked how this book showed that just because you come from a Spanish speaking country, it doesn't mean that you are the same as everyone else in that country. This story is told from the perspective of four different narrators. The four main characters are all Cuban, but all at different stages of life, have different skin colors, different income levels, etc. It takes place during the rise of Fidel Castro. Ana is from a wealthy family that flees Cuba. Miguel is sent over to the US as part of operation Pedro Pan. Zulema is from a poor family that learns to read. Juan sees his best friend become indoctrinated as an informant for Castro. I also liked that there were little elements of the stories that tied each of the characters together. I thought it was diverse, well written, and easy to relate to the characters. For me, it was hard to put down.
August 3, 2023
Beautifully rendered story of four children who are connected by brief encounters at a rally in revolutionary Cuba. Manzano shows us how their country’s turmoil ends friendships and divides families. Yet none of these young people ever stop loving their homeland, even if they end up leaving it.
People my age know Manzano from her turn as Maria on “Sesame Street.” This book showcases her writing talent and her deep empathy for kids. An excellent read for kids ages 10 and up. Recommended for kids who like Alan Gratz’s historical fiction.
Please note that I did not read it in Spanish. For some reason I could only find Goodreads’ record for the Spanish-language edition. (I’m still reading Elephant and Piggie in Spanish.) But now that I know it’s available, I will order it in Spanish for my library.
People my age know Manzano from her turn as Maria on “Sesame Street.” This book showcases her writing talent and her deep empathy for kids. An excellent read for kids ages 10 and up. Recommended for kids who like Alan Gratz’s historical fiction.
Please note that I did not read it in Spanish. For some reason I could only find Goodreads’ record for the Spanish-language edition. (I’m still reading Elephant and Piggie in Spanish.) But now that I know it’s available, I will order it in Spanish for my library.
August 8, 2022
Four children search for new lives after Castro’s takeover of Cuba.
🇨🇺
It’s 1959 and Fidel Castro has risen to power during the Cuba Revolution. Ana, Miguel, Zulema and Juan try to find a place for themselves in this new world. From Cuba to countryside to NYC to Miami, the reader gets to see each teen grow and evolve.
🇨🇺
This MG historical fiction collection of novellas by Sesame Street’s Sonia Manzano was beautifully written and read as an audiobook. Titles like these can create empathy among readers when we see what others have gone through in their lives. This is an automatic purchase for my middle school library. This book released last week. Grab it now!
CW: war, death, racism, immigration issues
🇨🇺
It’s 1959 and Fidel Castro has risen to power during the Cuba Revolution. Ana, Miguel, Zulema and Juan try to find a place for themselves in this new world. From Cuba to countryside to NYC to Miami, the reader gets to see each teen grow and evolve.
🇨🇺
This MG historical fiction collection of novellas by Sesame Street’s Sonia Manzano was beautifully written and read as an audiobook. Titles like these can create empathy among readers when we see what others have gone through in their lives. This is an automatic purchase for my middle school library. This book released last week. Grab it now!
CW: war, death, racism, immigration issues
July 10, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters, and how they all tied together. I liked seeing the various paths these children and their families took after the revolution that put Castro in power. My biggest concern, and why I couldn’t bump this book up to a 4⭐️ was that as much as I love Sonia Manzano, she isn’t Cuban. Any time a book about a certain culture is not written by a member of that culture, I am wary. I feel like Sonia did excellent research, but one of the books she mentions as additional resources at the back is one known to be written by a white woman, and problematic. I would love to know how Cubans who actually lived during this time, or their children who heard the stories feel about this representation.
April 29, 2022
This book follows the lives of 4 teens living in Cuba during the Cuban Revolution. This event affects all four profoundly but very differently. The reader is able to catch a glimpse of the Cuban migration to the USA, the brigadistas and pioneros in Cuba, and of Operación Pedro Pan. These four stories not only give us a healthy dose of history and entertainment, but it does very well in describing the complicated emotions these youths are feeling when their world turns upside down. Excellent for middle grade and high school, and anybody who is a fan of historical fiction. Loved it!
October 1, 2022
Read the ARC that I picked up at TLA.
Manzano uses the lives of four Cuban teens to tell the story of growing up in the midst of Fidel Castro's Revolution and its immediate aftermath. Their lives touched briefly just after Castro entered Havana and then they each are set on divergent paths, reflecting thousands of other lives that did the same.
All four stories explore some facet of the Cuban experience and point out that there is no one characteristic of being Cuban. A great diversity read for anyone and a definite purchase for my library's YA collection.
Manzano uses the lives of four Cuban teens to tell the story of growing up in the midst of Fidel Castro's Revolution and its immediate aftermath. Their lives touched briefly just after Castro entered Havana and then they each are set on divergent paths, reflecting thousands of other lives that did the same.
All four stories explore some facet of the Cuban experience and point out that there is no one characteristic of being Cuban. A great diversity read for anyone and a definite purchase for my library's YA collection.
November 2, 2022
The Cuban revolution was not a black and white situation with clear villains and heroes. Sonia Manzano tackled the Cuban revolution through the lens of four youngsters each of whom shows the reader a different side of the revolution. In the end, some leave the island and some stay, but all leave the reader with a deeper understanding of the choices they had to make as well as their consequences.
December 6, 2022
This book is a fictional story about young people that are navigating a country being ran by a dictator. Most of the kids do not like the "New Cuba" while there are others who fall in line to the communist way of life. I can find both positives and negatives in the new regime too but overall it is hard to imagine a world without democracy...
~Murder
~"Free" Health Care
~Criminals
~Refugees
~Santeria
~Communism
~Fruit Stand
~Murder
~"Free" Health Care
~Criminals
~Refugees
~Santeria
~Communism
~Fruit Stand
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews