...And Now Miguel [Paperback]

Joseph Krumgold (Author), Jean Charlot (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

He wanted to be treated like a man, not a child.

Every summer the men of the Chavez family go on a long and difficult sheep drive to the mountains. All the men, that is, except for Miguel. All year long, twelve-year-old Miguel tries to prove that he, too, is up to the challenge'that he, too, is up to the challenge'that he, too is ready to take the sheep into his beloved Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

When his deeds go unnoticed, he prays to San Ysidro, the saint for farmers everywhere. And his prayer is answered . . . but with devastating consequences.

When you act like and adult but get treated like a child, what else can you do but keep your wishes secret and pray that they'll come true.

This is the story of a twelve-year-old Miguel Chavez, who yearns in his heart to go with the men of his family on a long and hard sheep drive to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains--until his prayer is finally answered, with a disturbing and dangerous exchange.

• Cover illustration by Chris Miles
  
• Interior illustrations by Jean Charlot

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A memorable and deeply moving story of a family of New Mexican sheepherders, in which Miguel, neither child nor man, tells of his great longing to accompany men and sheep to summer pasture, and expresses his need to be recognized as a maturing individual." -- BL. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Joseph Krumgold received the Newbery Medal for ...And Now Miguel. One of the few people to receive the medal twice, he was subsequently awarded it for his novel Onion John,also available in a Harper Trophy edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (April 4, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006440143X
• ISBN-13: 978-0064401432
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #347,572 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU PRAY FOR, May 20, 1999

By 

Plume45 "kitka12345" (Westchester, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: ...And Now Miguel (Paperback)

Miguel at 12 desperately wants to take his place among the Menfolk of his family, by proving to his father that he is mature enough to be one of the regular hands. For years he has dreamed of accompanying the Chavez men on their annual summer trek up into the Sangre de Cristo Mountains with their large flock of sheep. Despite his zeal, creativity and real help with the family business, Miguel seems condemned to spend yet another summer at home with the girls.

When the entire village near Taos, New Mexico, turns out to celebrate the feast day of San Ysidro, their local patron, Miguel decides to petition the saint in a touchingly humorous (almost letter like) prayer. He takes it for granted that his wish will be granted, but soon is shocked to discover the harsh conditions. He never meant for his beloved brother, Gabriel, to have to leave home for two years in the military. Is there any way he can take back his wish? This leads to a long, soul-searching discussion on the

efficacy of prayer, the power and limitations of saints, and great fraternal quality time.

This story will apppeal more to boys seeking macho experience, for the role of females is relegated to the superficial. Still the book provides warm, family interactions. Narrated in the first person by Miguel himself, the book reveals the coming-of-age struggle and dreams of a Mexican-American youth. Readers will discover wry humor, simple faith, bi-lingual slang, and uneven pacing. Krumgold indulges in great detail about the sheep raising business, as Miguel blunders his way into adulthood. Wonderful descriptions of the mountains which have been calling him for years.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars REALISTIC, Historic Fiction for Readers with Patience, July 5, 2002

By 

Tracy Robert (Albuquerque, NM United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: ...And Now Miguel (Paperback)

This Newberry Award winner is a classic that may best be appreciated by readers with patience for a slower lifestyle. This is not for action-adventure junkies waiting for a roller coaster ride of thrills and suspense. I enjoyed this book because I am familiar with the setting in Northern New Mexico around Taos, which is well described in the book. For hundreds of years ranch owners have sent their shepherds and sheep to the green grazing fields in the local mountains during the summer months. The desire to go to the mountains with the sheep would have been a common personal conflict with older children. As a work of realistic fiction, it portrays a real lifestyle with real dreams and conflicts in a time and place before our modern technology, noise, and adrenaline surges of a rushed, stressed based lifestyle. This book is for the sophisticated reader who is looking for a good story in a work of historical fiction.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Slow At First, Then Valuable and Thought Provoking, February 23, 2011

By 

LME "The Discerning Viewer" (Central CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: ...And Now Miguel (Paperback)

As an adult who has read numerous children's books both on my own and as read-alouds, I was for some time confused as to why this book had garnered a Newbery Medal. I hung in there and was at least a third of the way through the book before I started to understand its' value. I kept thinking that my own boys would have liked this as a read-aloud when they were in perhaps grades 2-5, maybe even 1-5. I think younger boys would identify with the way that Miguel talks about himself and looks at the world.

As it progressed I really enjoyed Miguel's brushes with adulthood and progression in the family's sheep farming operation. His talk with his older brother Gabriel toward the end of the book was just the kind of thing a grade school boy could understand. Here was 12 year old Miguel trying to make sense of how and why things happen in life. The book could easily have ended here. Instead it went on to his journey into the mountains for the sheep's summer pasturing.

I do think this book is best read-aloud or read by a thoughtful child. It would likely provoke much discussion of life issues when read-aloud. It has an odd juxtaposition of young-ness and older philosophical thinking. Also, in some ways it reads like a documentary, a genre in which the author did much work. The story moves at a very leisurely pace and this will be off-putting for many readers today. I think it is really more of an "art book" in the same way that some films are "art films". Art films are not going to appeal to all audiences and neither will Miguel's story. It will, however, be a satisfying read for many.

This book would likely be a bestseller today if the story were "tightened up", in other words shortened and edited in some ways. This book has a Roman Catholic backdrop due to the time period and location.