Summary
Five students form an unlikely friendship when brought together for a school community service project. The only thing they seem to have in common is that they are all Latinx, and they speak English and Spanish. They bond over their frustrations of feeling invisible at their school. They meet someone who truly needs their help, a girl and her mother. They must decide whether they are each willing to expose their secrets to help or if remaining invisible is the only way to survive middle school.
Theme(s):
Immigration, homelessness, friendship
Personal Response
This graphic novel explores the concept of diversity within the Latin community. As each student tells their portion of the story, readers are shown the complexity and individuality of each of their lives, shattering the stereotypes that the adults and other students in the story place on them. However, using Spanish and English texts to expose readers to the complexities of multi-language literacy makes this modern story unique.
Teaching Ideas
My students will enjoy this book because they are learning English as a second language; I would read this book aloud and have students do a compare and contrast activity of themselves and these five kids. I would also ask them to connect on their daily life and how they feel. Also, we will do activities identifying character traits.
Recommended Reading Level
Grade 06, Grade 07
