My Diary from Here to There/Mi diario de aqui hasta alla (Pura Belpre Honor Book Author (Awards)) [Hardcover]

Amada Irma Perez (Author), Maya Christina Gonzalez (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up | Series: Pura Belpre Honor Book Author (Awards)

One night young Amada overhears her parents whisper of moving from Mexico to Los Angeles where greater opportunity awaits. As she and her family journey north, Amada records in her diary her fears, hopes, and dreams for their lives in the United States. Amada learns that with her family’s love and a belief in herself, she can make any journey and triumph over any change — here, there, anywhere.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The team behind My Very Own Room/Mi propio cuartito again takes its inspiration from an event in the author's childhood, this time exploring the feelings of a Mexican girl on the verge of starting a new life in Los Angeles. While the rest of the family proclaims excitement at their imminent move ("They have escalators to ride!" says one of her five brothers), Amada confides her fears to her journal: "Am I the only one who is scared of leaving our home, our beautiful country, and all the people we might never see again?" Her father tells her, "You are stronger than you think," but Amada isn't sure. In the end, she indeed discovers her strength, as well as a way to keep beloved friends and relatives back in Mexico "in my memories and in my heart." P‚rez sensitively explores her protagonist's emotional journey, peppering the narrative with details of specific moments-Amada's last walk in the park with her best friend, an uncle's magic trick to keep up the children's spirits. Gonzalez's color-saturated vignettes unfold against eye-catching backdrops of turquoise, yellow, green and purple, and the sweeping brush strokes and bold, slightly stylized features of her characters lend the pages a folk art feel. English and Spanish versions of the text are cleanly worked into the compositions. Ages 6-up.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 2-5. In her first diary entry, Amada is anxious about her family's move from Juarez, Mexico, to Los Angeles. Despite her father's assurances, she worries that they will never return to Juarez, that she won't be able to learn English, and that he will have problems finding work. Amada records their travels, their stay with relatives in Mexicali, eventual journey to Los Angeles, and the joyful reunion with their father. Told consistently through the eyes and feelings of a child, the narrative successfully telescopes the family odyssey. The art, done in the style of murals, features broad-faced human figures and a vibrant palette highlighted by purples and turquoises. As in her previous book, My Very Own Room (2000), Perez tells her story in both Spanish and English (here the appended personal note is only in English). Any child who has moved away from a familiar neighborhood or a best friend will identify with Amada, but her story will especially resonate with immigrant kids. Linda Perkins
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Children's Book Press; Bilingual edition (July 26, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892391758
• ISBN-13: 978-0892391752
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #290,094 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but terribly inconsistent, April 23, 2004

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Diary from Here to There/Mi diario de aqui hasta alla (Pura Belpre Honor Book Author (Awards)) (Hardcover)

Amada is moving to from Mexico to America with her family. Such a move might be enough to worry any child, but Amada feels alone in her fear and worry. Her brothers, after all, don't seem to find anything problematic with the plan, and her parents are as prepared as they can be. Packing up and moving in with their relatives until their green cards come through, Amada's father searches for work and she writes her adventures in her diary. The book tells her story both in Spanish and in English, making it the perfect way to introduce a multitude of people to a single text.

Author Amada Irma Perez has based this tale on her own experiences growing up. Like the protagonist she moved to America when she was a young girl, and the trip and relocation ultimately made her a stronger person. Perez is to be commended for this story. Because this is a children's book, it cannot directly tackle the worst aspects of immigrant life. Instead, it gently alludes to the myriad of problems awaiting the newest American citizens.

The book has many wonderful aspects, but there are a few inconsistencies I had trouble getting past. At one moment, Amada receives a letter from her father who is toiling in the fields of California. He says that a man named Cesar Chavez is there and that perhaps good unions will form. I love Cesar Chavez and I feel he was one of the great American heroes, but suddenly the text jars horribly with the illustrations. Up until this point, this book could have taken place today in this day and age. After all, what female child in the 1950s wore jeans all the time or, for that matter, flip flops? It's as if the illustrator decided that this book was going to be contemporary, Cesar Chavez reference or no Cesar Chavez reference. It's a blemish on what is otherwise a very well put together book.

Despite the Chavez allusion, I would recommend this book as a look on the current Mexican immigrant life and lifestyle. A great story for those kids who read English, and those that read Spanish. Anyone who peruses this story will instantly connect with the characters and their plight, making this a tale that needs to be told to little ones again and again and again.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELENTE TRADUCCION AL ESPANHOL!!, August 24, 2008

By 

Katya "Katya" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Diary from Here to There/Mi diario de aqui hasta alla (Pura Belpre Honor Book Author (Awards)) (Hardcover)

Creo que es el primer libro bilingue que esta realmente bien traducido al espanhol. La historia es muy interesante especialmente para los immigrantes, asimismo, ayuda a que nuestros hijos entiendan y valoren el proceso de tener que mudarse de un pais a otro, querer su cultura y adaptarse a una nueva. Sin duda alguna recomendaria este libro para ninhos hijos de immigrantes.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars great book, April 17, 2009

A Kid's Review

This review is from: My Diary from Here to There/Mi diario de aqui hasta alla (Pura Belpre Honor Book Author (Awards)) (Hardcover)

My diary from here to there is about a girl that lives in Ciudad Juares, mexico. she loves living in mexico, she has her BFF. Until one day she hears her mom and dad saying that their family needs to move to the United States. On the way to the United States they stop and rest at their uncles house.
I like this book because it reminds me of my life. I was also born in Mexico and moved to the United States. I really didn't want to move, but I knew I had to go.
My favorite part was when her brother were making laud noises and making a mess because everyone got mad at them, but after all,when the family left, everyone was sad.
I recommend this book because it's a real story and because at first the girl doesn't want to go to the United States, but at the end she's fine with it.