I liked El Lector better than the 3 star rating might suggest, mainly because it takes on labor issues and that is apparently a tough topic to write about for children without sounding too strident. Or too ambivalent. This book veered a bit toward the didactic before reining in. The character of Tia Lola was wonderful. There is such a tendency to characterize female workers during the Depression as downtrodden drudges in sunbonnets, but in fact, many of the younger ones were thoroughly modern with bobbed hair, lipstick, and a pretty darn insouciant attitude toward the opposite sex. Lola let the reader see what that might look like. It was refreshing to read a book set in Florida during the Great Depression, and Durbin did a wonderful job of explaining the culture of the tobacco workers and the practice of el lector. Like the main character, Bella, I want to be el lector!! ( )