Anita of Rancho del Mar [Paperback]

Elaine F. O'Brien (Author), Richard W. Cunningham (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1991 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Depicts life on a Spanish land-grant ranch in California in the 1830s through the adventures of young Anita and the Lorenzana family.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8-- Anita, 12, lives with her family on a California land grant rancho during the 1830s. She has a knack for finding danger, but usually emerges unscathed and slightly wiser. O'Brien sprinkles a wealth of information about the early history and culture of the region into Anita's sojourns. Spanish words and phrases are neatly thrown in and italicized; most (but not all) are defined in the glossary. Such elements combine to give an effective introduction to the time and place, but do not produce an involving book. The plot is melodramatic and often contrived, e.g., when Anita's father, Don Jose, needs money to pay creditors, she conveniently finds gold nuggets. While at sea, he decides to have his land surveyed; the drowning man they rescue happens to be a surveyor. Dialogue is stiff and artificial. A sea captain from Boston and an Irish tutor speak very much in the manner of Don Jose. Anita is lifeless and predictable, despite her penchant for adventure. While a lot happens to her and her family, none of it will grip readers. --Steven Engelfried, Pleasanton Library, CA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

" No study of early California would be complete without learning about the ranches that developed around the California missions. This book is a wonderful way to learn about this period of history as it is full of authentic historical and cultural details. It was written for upper elementary students and contains a map of the missions, a map of Ventura area where most of the story takes place and it has a wonderful glossary of Spanish terms.

The story itself is fast paced and full of action. Anita, a girl of twelve, is always in the middle of exciting events. She and her brothers and sisters take part in fiestas, boundary disputes, an encounter with a mountain lion, and a wild horse round-up. In the story you learn about land grants, the everyday dangers of life on a rancho, the food, Indian problems, horse thieves, etc.

Don't miss this wonderful story and the chance to learn more about California history. I don't know of any other book that can compete with it." -- The California Reader

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Fithian Press (June 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0931832799
• ISBN-13: 978-0931832796
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,153,872 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FANTASTIC a great resource for 4th grade teachers!, August 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Anita of Rancho del Mar (Paperback)

This is a GREAT book. It is a MUST read for all 4th grade teachers and students. It has universal appeal, that I think anyone, who enjoys reading about history, in a kind of you are there style, will enjoy. I have read this book yearly to my 4th grade classes since it was first published. The story is based in the Rancho period of California history. It is unique in that it is about a girl, and how daily life on a rancho affects her. The girl is young and the kids easily relate to her. The story itself is fiction. But, it is set on a Rancho that really did exist in what would later become Ventura County. The names of the people that the girl and her family interact with are real names of local founding families, and are historically accurate. A LOT of research has gone into making it as historically accurate as it can be. There are other good fiction stories for other periods of California history, but usually a boy is the main focus. It is WONDERFUL to have a book that has a girl as the main character and to have one that strives to be historically accurate while still telling a good, engaging story.