Prizefighter en Mi Casa [Paperback]

e.E. Charlton-Trujillo (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Twelve-year-old Chula Sanchez isn’t thin, isn’t beautiful, and because she’s Mexican, isn’t popular in her south Texas town. And now that a car accident has left her father paralyzed and her plagued with seizures, she is poor. But Chula’s father is determined to pull his family out of debt. He sends for El Jefe—the most revered prizefighter in Mexico. Chula’s father hopes that with steel-pipe arms and fists like pit bulls, El Jefe will win the local illegal boxing matches and bring home much-needed money. But El Jefe—a man who many see as a monster—only brings confusion to a home that is already filled with problems. And now Chula must decide for herself whether good and bad can reside in one person and whether you can have strength in your heart when your fists have none.


From the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8–Twelve-year-old Chula is frightened by the arrival of an unusual houseguest, a scarred prizefighter from Mexico. Her father has brought El Jefe, his childhood friend, to their South Texas town and risks the family savings to back him in a black-market fight against Golden Gloves, a local white boxer. It's a classic confrontation of Circles (people from the poor Mexican community) versus Squares (those from the wealthier side of town), and Chula's family is hoping for victory and a rescue from the poverty that has been their fate since the car accident that left Pape in a wheelchair. Chula suffered a head injury from flying glass that has left her with Flashes, her name for the resulting epileptic seizures, and caused her to be ostracized by neighbors and classmates. Incorrect grammar and Spanish phrases pepper this startlingly vivid first-person narrative of a girl who understands that she needs to be brave and is not sure she's up to it. The book includes a large cast of characters with an equally large set of problems. At a breakneck pace, the protagonist faces challenges from homework to hiding her brother from the police, and, through it all, shines as she listens to and learns from each person, especially the mythic and troubled El Jefe. Searching for strength and courage in others, Chula finds them in herself.–Carol A. Edwards, Douglas County Libraries, Castle Rock, CO
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Startlingly vivid." - School Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Yearling (December 11, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440421179
• ISBN-13: 978-0440421177
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.6 x 7.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,380,707 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

As far as a general bio, I'm from small-town South Texas. While I grew up taking photos on a dinky Kodak 110 camera, I watched a lot of films. A lot!

Career wise, I suppose I've been a renaissance woman. First a high school and collegiate debater, then an actress, a director/writer/producer, a photographer and most recently a novelist. In film, I've worked professionally with Douglas McGrath (Infamous, Nicholas Nickelby), Betty Thomas (John Tucker Must Die, The Brady Bunch Movie) and Lucy Walker (The Devil's Playground).

Currently, I've got one book on the shelves, PRIZEFIGHTER EN MI CASA, and FEELS LIKE HOME will be out April 10, 2007. I'm working on three other novels, two screenplays, a teleplay and preparing to directed a film in Fall 2006.

As far as the writing goes, whatever the format I always build a soundtrack. Whether it's for the chapter or each character, music enables me to create a color of the chapter and/or character I might not have realized on my own.

That's the quick skinny.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remember when..., August 23, 2006

By 

E. Esparza "Granger-Mayfair Clan" (Corpus Christi, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Prizefighter en Mi Casa (Hardcover)

Remember when you were in growing up and school in South Texas? The Cocooey or the Boogeyman, and words like teenage pregnancy, welfare or Lone Star, Wetbacks and Whitetrash were not uncommon? This book takes me back to those days when I first moved to Texas and heard those words. I also have epilepsy in my family. I think this book brings out the good and the bad of all worlds in a courageous and spirited way.
I love Chula's character and how she finds her strength as she copes with her "flashes"/epilepsy, school, her family, home life, and sibling rivalry with Richie. The mystery of El Jefe, his connections to the family, and their needs drew me more into the story.
There is also in this story the everyday youth issues like school stuff (friends, enemies, and grades), gangs and crime, ethnic stereotypes & prejudices. I love the use of juvenile and mexican/Tex-Mex vocabulary and grammar.
I can't wait for more from Ms. Charlton-Trujillo!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'll teach this novel!, September 27, 2006

By 

Book Lover (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prizefighter en Mi Casa (Hardcover)

Prizefighter en Mi Casa will be a great read aloud for my sophomore English class. Our themes are "The Hero" and "The Journey," and Charlton-Trujillo's novel deals with both. Chula is a very accessible narrator, and the brother-sister relationship feels true-to-life. The aura of mystery around El Jefe will keep my kids guessing. All these ingredients, plus excellent writing, make Prizefighter a fantastic choice for my classroom!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You'll love Chula and El Jefe, August 19, 2006

By 

Ellis (Madisonville, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prizefighter en Mi Casa (Hardcover)

What I liked most about this book was that all the characters were brave in their own way. Especially Chula, who has more courage than any of the adults. I loved the way Chula and Richie fight but take care of each other too. They're just like real brothers and sisters. The story is exciting and a little scary, but it makes you think. El Jefe is mysterious and complicated -- I wish a prizefighter like him would come to stay at my house. I recommend this book no matter how old you are.