Libertad

Libertad and his seven year old little brother, Julio, live with their Mami on the edge of the Guatemala City Dump where they scavenge through the garbage daily in order to earn a subsistence living by selling anything salvageable. Their father left them about five years ago to find work in America, and intends to come back for them, but they were evicted from their mountain village home so he won't know where they are. When Libertad's mom is accidentally killed under a pile of dumped garbage, he decides that they have to get to America to find him.
This would be a great story to use in conjunction with a global issues theme. It isn’t too depressing, and the boys don’t spend much time feeling sorry for themselves. The simple text show more would make it accessible for a weak reader in grade seven or eight, and the highly personal nature of the narrative makes it quite interesting. A reader can’t help but want to know what happens to Libertad and Joey.
The book is written in free verse, and describes the journey the two boys, and their puppy take to find their father. It provides an excellent look at migrant children and their attempts to get into the United States without being too depressing. It is written so simply that a child in grade 4 - 6 could easily understand the story. show less

Libertad lives in poverty in Guatemala with his Mami and his younger brother Julio. They live in the town dump, scavenging for stuff to sell so they can buy food. Eventually Libertad and Julio set off for America so they can find their Papi and live in freedom.

This book has a unique perspective and tells an important story, but I found the boys' passage to the United States too easy to be believable. An author's note provides some information about the thousands of children who undertake similar journeys each year. For a tale of border crossing, I prefer Ann Jaramillo's LA LINEA.

After their mother is killed in an accident, Libertad and his younger brother undertake the long journey from Guatemala to the Rio Grande River, hoping to make it across and find their father in Texas.

With their father gone to America to make money for his family, Libertad, his little brother Julio and their mother scrape a living out of a dump in Guatemala City. Although it is too late for him, Libertad is determined that his little brother should go to school. Taught to play the marimba by his father, Libertad uses his talent as a street musician to raise enough money for his brother's school supplies. But his dreams for their future are destroyed when their mother is killed in a freak accident. Libertad must face the inevitable truth; they cannot survive on the streets of Guatemala City alone. There is only one thing to do. They must set out on the long and lonely journey to the Rio Grande River, where they plan to cross the water show more and enter the United States to find their father. show less