Caminar / Skila Brown.

Title:

Author:

Brown, Skila,

ISBN:

9780763665166

0763665169

Edition:

First edition.

Publication Info:

Somerville, Massachusetts :

Description:

193 pages ; 22 cm

Summary:

Carlos knows that when the soldiers arrive with warnings about the Communist rebels, it is time to be a man and defend the village, keep everyone safe. But Mama tells him not yet -- he's still her quiet moonfaced boy. The government soldiers laugh at the villagers, and before they move on, a neighbor is found dangling from a tree, a sign on his neck: Communist. Mama tells Carlos to run and hide, then try to find her ... Numb and alone, he must join a band of guerillas as they trek to the top of the mountain where Carlos's abuela lives. Will he be in time, and brave enough, to warn them about the soldiers? What will he do then? A novel in verse inspired by actual events during Guatemala's civil war, Caminar is the moving story of a boy who loses nearly everything before discovering who he really is.

Reading Level:

Ages 9-12 Lexile

Subject(s):

Boys -- Fiction.

Courage -- Fiction.

Holds: Copies (not including on-order items):

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Call Number	Shelf Location	Status	Item Holds
Searching... East Library	Teen Book	BROW	Teen Fiction	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

Set in 1981 Guatemala, a lyrical debut novel tells the powerful tale of a boy who must decide what it means to be a man during a time of war.

Carlos knows that when the soldiers arrive with warnings about the Communist rebels, it is time to be a man and defend the village, keep everyone safe. But Mama tells him not yet -- he's still her quiet moonfaced boy. The soldiers laugh at the villagers, and before they move on, a neighbor is found dangling from a tree, a sign on his neck: Communist . Mama tells Carlos to run and hide, then try to find her. . . . Numb and alone, he must join a band of guerillas as they trek to the top of the mountain where Carlos's abuela lives. Will he be in time, and brave enough, to warn them about the soldiers? What will he do then? A novel in verse inspired by actual events during Guatemala's civil war, Caminar is the moving story of a boy who loses nearly everything before discovering who he really is.

Author Notes

Skila Brown has an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She has visited Guatemala numerous times in the last decade. She lives in Indiana with her husband and their three children.

Reviews (3)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 5-8-Carlos, a young boy living in remote Guatemala, yearns to be a man and defend his village from the soldiers who are seeking Communist rebels. His mother, however, tells him to run to the trees to hide. He's in the jungle when the soldiers return, and he's left alone, full of shame because he did not help his people. Carlos comes across a small band of guerillas, and joins them in their race to warn the people in the village at the top of the mountain. Along the way, he learns valuable lessons about what it means to be a man and that a moment of fear does not keep one from being able to help in the future. The story, told in verse, is inspired by true events, and narrated by Christian Barillas. This is an excellent choice for middle school libraries.-Amanda Rollins, Northwest Village School, Plainville, CT (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publisher's Weekly Review

Writing in verse, Brown debuts with a tense coming-of-age story set amid the Guatemalan Civil War. Opening in 1981, it follows a timid boy named Carlos as he wrestles with what it means to be a man after his fictional village, Chopan, is visited by government soldiers and, later, by a band of guerillas. Brown uses concrete poetry to excellent effect, skillfully playing with spacing, structure, and repetition. One poem is a jumble of quotations as villagers discuss the passing rebels (" 'We must protect our village.' 'They have guns.' 'Dios mio.' "). In another, Carlos argues with himself as he trudges through the forest after disaster strikes Chopan, his thoughts (" 'Mama told me to run' 'Only boys run' ") appearing on both sides of a column of text that repeats "I walked." Brown offers some historical context in an opening note and a Q&A (a glossary of Spanish words is also included), but the ambiguities and uncertainties within the story itself help align readers with Carlos and his fellow villagers, caught in a conflict they don't understand. Ages 10-up. Agent: Tina Wexler, ICM. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

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. Carlos wants to defend his village from the Communist rebels the group that government soldiers warn everyone away from but his mother tells him now is not the time. But when the village is then overrun by those same soldiers, Carlos escapes and is the only one who can run to the top of the mountain to warn his grandmother's village about what is coming. The horrors of war force the boy to grow up quickly and discern who exactly is to be trusted. Basing her story on true events, Brown infuses the novel with facts that will teach readers plenty about this piece of history. Written in verse, the book takes advantage of a variety of formats and styles. 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. A glossary of Spanish words is included.--Thompson, Sarah Bean Copyright 2014 Booklist