Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Flores-Galbis, Enrique. 90 Miles To Havana

Flores-Galbis, Enrique 90 Miles To Havana
Roaring Brook Press see macmillan children's pub 2010 292p 17.99
ms/hs Cuban Immigrants - Fiction VG-BN

Three brothers are sent out of Cuba in 1961 in a Pedro Pan camp in Florida. After running away, Julian is taken in by an older Cuban,. They help 14 others escape Castro's Cuba. The harsh life of a young immigrant is heartbreaking. Grades 4-9 As Castro comes to power, a wealthy family makes a heartbreaking decision. The parents send their three sons to Florida in Operation Pedro Pan. The boys fly to Miami and are whisked to a detention camp. Bullying, poor sleeping accommodations, and little food drive inhabitants to design crafty ways to survive. Soon, the two older brothers are sent to an orphanage in Colorado for bucking the system at the camp. Julian is left to fend for himself. A girl he knew in Cuba helps him escape. Tomas is a fellow Cuban who is rehabbing a boat in order to make a trip to Cuba to free 14 other people from Castro's grip takes Tomas in. Historical information is seamlessly interwoven into the story of heartbreak, danger and survival based upon the author╒s actual life as a young person in a refugee camp in Florida. Fear of being discovered by authorities, crafty ways of earning money on the black market, and the stress of not knowing the status of relatives are never far from the character╒s mind. However, there is a sense of camaraderie between Cubans that lends a sense of hope that the future will be better. For students who study Cuban history as well as American immigration policy, this fictionalized look at the Castro Revolution in 1961 will provide good background to the times as well as emotions that were running high during that period. For grades 4-9. Historical McNicol,Lois

No comments: