Customer Reviews

...And Now Miguel

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This story takes place in the recent past near Taos, Mexico in a village called Los Cordovas. Since this story takes place in Los Cordovas, people talk in Spanish and in English and that's why they have Spanish names.

This book is mostly about a twelve year-old boy named Miguel, his dad (Old Blas), and his brother, Gabriel. Miguel wants to go with his dad and other members of his family to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains where they go with their sheep to feed them green grass each year.

In my opinion I liked how the places the story took place were arranged, and how it was taken place in real places. I thought it was a VERY good book because the characters in this book sound really real. I would recommend this book because it is really realistic and because it talks about people who would act like we do now.

Miguel wants desperately to go with the men on the long sheep drive in the summer, but his father thinks he is too young. Miguel does everything he can to prove himself to his father, but his father's answer is still no. Finally, Miguel resorts to praying to the saint, begging the saint to find a way for Miguel to go on the drive. Miguel does not anticipate the consequences of his prayer. His father changes his mind, allowing Miguel to go, but at what cost, for what reasons?

This book is a thoughtful look at a boy growing to become a man, suddenly seeing things that were once clearly black or white have become a frightening gray.

This was the slowest-moving book I have ever read. I haven't read it in a while, but I think there was a whole normal-sized chapter where all they talked about was a feast. I had to abandon the book half way through because it bored me so much. It was a big waste of time to read.

...And Now Miguel is an interesting picture of what an eleven year old boy in Texas thinks about on his father's sheep ranch. His thoughts are so precisely described that the slow pace may be boring for some readers. But the detail is worthwhile if you like to be inside Miguel's head. The details of the Texan sheep ranch are charming and historically educational. I found it rather like a South American version of Little House featuring a boy instead of a girl.

I think this book was so boring! I also think that the summary on the back of the book was a lie. He did not have "devasting" consquences. Please! I mean, you tell me what was so "devasting". I'm all ears. This book was so boring. Who wants to hear about how you brand sheep? Uh, no one! This book all most put me to sleep. El boringo.

The book I read was ..And Now Miguel. The book was about this kid who wanted to write poetry, but his dad didnt want him to because he thought men shouldnt write poetry . During the story Miguel sneaks behind his dad`s back and writes poetry for school. So when his teacher calls his house to tell his poetry.So when his dad finds out he gets furious at him and locks him in his room. When Miguel starts to write with his teacher at the end of the story. This was ok but i wouldnt read it again.