Marisol and Magdalena [Paperback]

Veronica Chambers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 31, 2001 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Marisol and Magdalena are mejores amigas - best friends - who live in Brooklyn. They have grown up with their extended families, a group of colorful, eccentric relatives who are forever trying to reach the girls the ways of Panama, their native land. For Marisol, a Latinegra - a black and a Latina - child, life is especially challenging as she tries to balance several heritages. When Marisol's mother sends her to live in Panama with her abuela, the move puts Marisol's American values to the test, and also tests her friendship with Magdalena. But going to Panama also presents an opportunity for Marisol to search for her father, Lucho, a man she has never met.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 6^-9. Their mothers grew up together in Panama, but longtime best friends Marisol and Magdalena, both 13, were born and still live in Brooklyn and know very little Spanish. Their relatives and others in the expatriate Panamanian community in Brooklyn are constantly trying to make the two girls understand and appreciate their heritage. But the girls plan to "rule Roberto Clemente Junior High" when they enter eighth grade in the fall; then Marisol's single, working mother, who also attends nursing school, decides to send Marisol to Panama to spend a year with her grandmother. An apprehensive Marisol prepares for the trip, unhappy as she sees Magdalena pulling away from her but consoled by the thought that she might find the father she's never known. In Panama, Marisol is immediately comfortable with her grandmother, makes a new friend in Ana, is welcomed at her new school, and finds her first boyfriend in Rube n, who tutors her in Spanish. As Marisol's shyness fades, she begins to feel, in some ways, more comfortable in Panama than in New York, even adjusting to the fact that her father may never surface in her life. Marisol's vibrant first-person narrative flows smoothly, incorporating Spanish words and phrases in a way that non-Spanish speakers can easily comprehend, and conveying a well-realized sense of the Latino-black experience. YAs of any background will readily be able to identify with Marisol and the test placed on her friendship with Magdalena. Sally Estes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Veronica Chambers is the author of the sequel to Marisol and Magdalena, Quincea"era Means Sweet Fifteen.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 170 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (March 31, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786813040
• ISBN-13: 978-0786813049
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,652,669 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Made me want more!, August 22, 2000

By 

Matthew Jones (Forest Grove, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Marisol and Magdalena: The Sound of Our Sisterhood (Hardcover)

I received this book as part of my teaching curriculum, and read it all in one afternoon. It's fast, light, and gives so many opportunities to start discussions on what it means to be from two (or more) cultures, it's scary. I thought it ended too soon, but maybe (hopefully) that's because Ms. Chambers plans to write more about Marisol and her friends. Certainly will draw kids in and the ending provides (at least for me) a chance to allow my students to continue Marisol's adventures and ask them, "What happens next?". Good job!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Marisol and Magdelena the sound of our sisterhood, May 13, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Marisol and Magdalena (Paperback)

This book is the greatest book I've read on my level of reading.It shows a friend ship that will last. Ruben and marisol should have thier own book.It was fun reading: MARISOL AND MAGDELENA THE SOUND OF OUR SISTER HOOD

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just the right book for bi-cultural children and teenagers., September 18, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Marisol and Magdalena: The Sound of Our Sisterhood (Hardcover)

Kudos for Veronica Chambers!!! This book is great a must have in your children's bookshelf. I am a Panamanian mother of 2 children born in the U.S. Now they can see that you don't have to choose. That you can embrace and love both cultures, it is O.K. to be both, Born in the USA and a Panamanian. That your heart is big enough to love both cultures and you are smart enough to speak two languages. Be proud of who you are.