Call Me Maria [Paperback]

Judith Ortiz Cofer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2006 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

A new novel from the award-winning author of AN ISLAND LIKE YOU, winner of the Pura Belpre Award.

Maria is a girl caught between two worlds: Puerto Rico, where she was born, and New York, where she now lives in a basement apartment in the barrio. While her mother remains on the island, Maria lives with her father, the super of their building. As she struggles to lose her island accent, Maria does her best to find her place within the unfamiliar culture of the barrio. Finally, with the Spanglish of the barrio people ringing in her ears, she finds the poet within herself.

In lush prose and spare, evocative poetry, Cofer weaves a powerful novel, bursting with life and hope.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks (July 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439385784
• ISBN-13: 978-0439385787
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #511,844 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Critically acclaimed and widely published poet, novelist, and essayist Judith Ortiz Cofer knows that "words have the power to transform you and give you the power to shape your life. The minute you open your mouth, you have introduced yourself." Writing extensively about the experience of being Puerto Rican and her identity as a woman and writer in the U.S., she is a lauded Regents and Franklin Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Georgia where she teaches literature and creative writing.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maria learns what it means to be Puerto Rican in America, October 5, 2009

By 

American Immigration Council's Community Educ... (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Call Me Maria (Paperback)

Fifteen-year old Maria lives in the New York City barrio with her father in order to get an American education, while her mother remains at home in Puerto Rico. As Maria learns what it means to be Puerto Rican in America, she is caught between two worlds: Puerto Rico, where she was born, and her new home, New York. Through a beautiful combination of prose, letters and, poems, Maria finds her inner voice and is able to express herself beautifully. Although not much of a formal plot exists, Maria does struggle with the conflict over island versus gritty urban life, growing friendships and eventually becoming trilingual, speaking English, Spanish and "Spanglish". Although sometimes lacking in focus, this would be a beautiful read aloud for any class examining the emotions of recent teenage immigrants, insight into life in the barrio as well as a comparison to life in Puerto Rico.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful story, July 26, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Call Me Maria (Paperback)

This book is the story of Maria who goes to live with her father in NYC while her mom stays behind in Puerto Rico. In poems and prose, she writes her feelings about not fitting in, her outrageous friends and neighbors, the boy on her street, and other observations in her life. I think this book was written well and really easy to read while remaining interesting. Maria has relatable feelings and emotions that move the story along.

0 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars book report for child, October 31, 2007

By 

Michelle R. Deguzman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Call Me Maria (Paperback)

I appreciated that the book came when ordered. I would have liked more notice that the requirement from UPS was get a signature but we didn't even get a notice it was delivered. I saw it was by looking up my order.
thank you