![]() ![]() A glossary of Spanish words is included.īrown uses concrete poetry to excellent effect, skillfully playing with spacing, structure, and repetition. This is a welcome way to increase the diversity of any collection while providing a glimpse into a period of history unknown to most American kids. The Guatemalan Civil War is powerfully fictionalized through the eyes of a young boy on the verge of becoming a man in this debut novel. This is a much-needed addition to Latin American-themed middle grade fiction. Readers will encounter a range of imagery, repetition, rhythms, and visual effects that bring to life the psychological experience of Carlos, a young boy caught in the violent clash between the government’s army and the people’s rebels. 'Caminar' contributes poetry that elevates the genre. ![]() ![]() All combine to give us a chillingly memorable portrait of one child surviving violence and loss in a time of war. Layered and varied, some are shape poems some can be read in more than one way, as if written from two perspectives and all are accessible to young readers. The poems, all written from Carlos’s point of view, are emotional, visceral, and lyrical. Exquisitely crafted poems are the basis of an unusually fine verse novel set in 1981, in the middle of the Guatemalan Civil War. ![]()
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