Jones, Patrick. Bridge
September 1st 2014 by Lerner Classroom
E ARC from Netgalley.com
Jose is trying very hard to do well at Rondo Alternative
high school, but he has more problems than school to worry about. His mother
and father are undocumented immigrants, and he lives with them, an aunt, and
her children. He is the best English speaker in the house, so he must
interpret. Ten years earlier, his father was injured on a construction site,
and Jose blames himself for the extent of the injuries because he could not
translate accurately. He thought “intoxicado” meant “drunk”, but his father
actually had a significant stroke and was taken to jail instead of the
hospital, making his recovery much more difficult and less successful. Jose
must work several jobs to support his family and save for college, but the
pressures and time commitment make it hard for him to do well in school.
Strengths: Like the Surviving Southside books, this is a
short book for reluctant readers. The high school setting is appealing to my
students, who don’t want to be seen reading “baby” books, and problem novels
are also popular with struggling readers. Jose is a good kid, but his struggles
are portrayed realistically. I thought that the prose in this book was far
superior to that in many hi/lo books I’ve read, so Mr. Jones is to be applauded
for this!
Weaknesses: While it is good to see Mexican Americans
portrayed in books, we do need more books about middle class Latinos where their
ethnicity is just part of the characters and not the whole story. It’s good to
have both kinds of books, though, and this will be an excellent addition to my
school collection.
I'm very interested in the Hi/Lo books. There is such a need for good ones. I will definitely check this out. Thanks for telling me about it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the books and advice. I miss seeing you every day.
ReplyDelete