Farewell Cuba, Mi Isla
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Two starred reviews!
“Perfect for fans of Margarita Engle and impactful historical fiction” (School Library Journal, starred review), this “evocative and transportive” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) middle grade novel follows two girls fleeing 1960 Cuba with their family, inspired by award-winning author Alexandra Diaz’s family’s history.
Victoria loves everything about her home in Cuba. The beautiful land, the delicious food, her best friend and cousin, Jackie, and her big, loving family.
But it’s 1960 in Cuba, and as the political situation grows more and more dangerous, Victoria, her parents, and her two younger siblings are forced to seek refuge in America with nothing more than two changes of clothes and five dollars. Worse, they’re forced to leave the rest of their family, including Jackie, behind.
In Miami, everything is different. And it’s up to Victoria to step up and help her family settle into this new world—even though she hopes they won’t be there for long. Back in Cuba, everything feels different, too. Jackie watches as friends and family flee, or worse, disappear. So, when she’s given a chance to escape to America, she takes it—even though she has to go alone. Reunited in Miami, can Victoria and Jackie find a way to bring the rest of their family to safety?
Based on Alexandra Diaz’s mother’s real experiences as a Cuban refugee in America, this is a moving and timely story about family, friendship, and fighting for your future.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
For as long as they've been alive, 12-year-old Cuban cousins Victoria and Jackie have never been far apart—they live in the same building with their immediate families, and spend their summers at Papalfonso and Mamalara's farm. But it seems that their carefree days together are coming to an end; when Fidel Castro rises to power in 1960, people Victoria has known all her life begin fleeing the island. Protesters are being arrested en masse, and Victoria's father, who opposes Castro's regime, worries that they might be next. Victoria and her parents soon leave for Miami, believing they'll be able to return to Cuba in a few weeks. Meanwhile, amid rising tensions and violence, Jackie must decide whether she should leave, too—without her parents or younger brother. Employing the cousins' alternating perspectives, Diaz (Santiago's Road Home) weaves a compelling tale that sensitively depicts the struggles many Cuban migrants faced during this period, including financial hardship, losing loved ones, and racist bullying at school. Inspired by her own family's experiences, as discussed in an author's note, Diaz delivers a well-researched story that serves as a compassionate introduction to this underdiscussed part of American and Cuban history. A glossary concludes. Ages 8–12.
