Irene Beltran Hernandez

This story was told from the POV of a young (5?) Mexican girl whose parents attempt to cross the Rio Grande to find work and earn a better life, so the language is somewhat simple, but the message is powerful. They are shot at while crossing the river and the father gets Kata and her mother in the boat so it can leave quickly, then plans to swim. We're never too sure how honest the men who help them are, but at least they get Kata and Mama to a curandera who has a little ranchito on the Mexican side. This old woman, Anita, grumbles but you can see she really has an open heart and they form a small family. Kata has good insight into people, and Anita begins to teach her craft. When Kata and Mama move to town so Mama can earn some money, they are followed by someone with evil intention. I'll leave it at that to prevent any more spoilers. At the end, I really wanted to find out more about Kata's future.
This would be a good book for any age: mature 7 yr old to adult. It does touch on painful reality of poverty, so younger children may need questions answered about why the world is the way it is and what we can do about it.
I'm going to look for more books by this author, and share this one with my grandchildren.… (altro)