Book Review: Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall

Lupita loves her life.  The oldest of eight, she lives in Texas with her flower-loving Mami and hard-working Papi, spending weekends and summers just across the border in Mexico with her Abuelita, uncles and aunts and many cousins.  A talented writer, Lupita carries a notebook with her everywhere, often retreating to write under the mesquite tree in her mother's garden, and dreams of one day going to college to become a writer.  Her drama teacher, Mr. Cortes, encourages her talent, giving her voice lessons and taking her to performing arts competitions.  Balancing a family in two countries and maintaining a cultural identity that she loves isn't always easy, but Lupita is proud of who she is and where she comes from.

But when Lupita's mother is diagnosed with cancer, everything changes.  As the oldest, she takes over many of the family responsibilities.  Papi is working more than ever to make enough money to pay for the doctors and the chemo, and he and Mami are gone for weeks at a time while she's in treatment.  Suddenly, Lupita is struggling to feed her younger brothers and sisters, help with homework, and keep the house clean, all while trying to keep her own dreams alive.  Friends and neighbors do everything they can to help out and ease the burden, but everyone is struggling.  Still, even though she is terrified Mami won't make it, Lupita tries to stay positive and keep hope alive for her family.

Written in Lupita's hopeful voice, this novel-in-verse journals Lupita's four years in high school as she struggles to come to terms with her mother's cancer, stay strong for her family, remain true to her Mexican American heritage, and realize her dreams to become a writer.  Nominated for the 2012 Morris Award for debut YA authors, Under the Mesquite is a moving testament to the power of love, family, and friendship.

Megan
(now reading The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross, which promises to be full of steampunk, clockwork awesome!)