A Sea of Lemon Trees: The Corrido of Roberto Alvarez
Author:
Maria Dolores Aguila
Publication:
2025 by Roaring Brook Press
Genre:
Biographical Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction
Pages:
304
Current state:
This book has been evaluated and information added. It has been read and any content considerations have been added.
Book Guide
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San Diego, 1931. Twelve-year-old Roberto Alvarez is the youngest of his siblings, born on United States soil. He's el futuro, their dream for a life away from the fire of the Mexican Revolution.
Moved by anti-immigrant and anti-Mexican propaganda, the Lemon Grove school board and chamber of commerce create a separate "Americanization" school for the Mexican children attending the Lemon Grove Grammar School. But the new Olive Street School is an old barn retrofitted for the children forced to attend a segregated school.
Amid threats of deportation, the Comite de Vecinos risk everything to stand their ground and, with the support of the Mexican Consulate, choose Roberto as the lead plantiff in a lawsuit against the school board in this vivid and uplifting novel in verse based on true events.
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Maria Dolores Aguila
AmericanMaria Dolores Aguila is a Chicana poet and author from San Diego, California. Deeply inspired by Chicane history and art, she seeks to write empower... See more
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Reviews
A Sea of Lemon Trees
This story in verse follows Roberto Alvarez, a young boy who loves attending Lemon Grove Grammar School and living in the sea of lemon trees that are synonymous with his community. However, when the school board decides to segregate the school and force all the children with Mexican heritage to accept a lesser education, Roberto’s life is turned upside down.
A Sea of Lemon Trees
An engaging inside look at a historic case of school segregation, and of one boy’s putting aside childish things.
A Sea of Lemon Trees
Parents need to know that A Sea of Lemon Trees: The Corrido of Roberto Alvarez, by María Dolores Águila, is a middle-grade verse novel told from the viewpoint of the title character, a 12-year-old lead plaintiff in a 1931 California court case. (A corrido is a Spanish-language song or poem telling of heroes and their struggles against injustice and adversity.)
A Sea of Lemon Trees
A moving portrait of community resistance and a young boy’s quiet courage.
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