Pedro Martin (1)Recensioni

This book is a captivating graphic novel memoir that tells the story of a young Mexican American boy's journey with his family to bring his grandfather from Mexico to the United States. Through engaging illustrations and heartfelt storytelling, Martin explores themes of immigration, family bonds, and cultural identity. In the classroom, teachers can use the book to facilitate discussions about cultural heritage, family history, and the challenges faced by immigrant families. The book can inspire students to share their own stories, write reflective essays, or create art projects that explore their cultural backgrounds and personal connections.

Independent Reading Level: Grades 4-5
Awards: Pura Belpré Youth Illustration Award and the Pura Belpré Children's Author Award

Robust and entertaining family trip ruined by gross nose thing and death of deer.

this book is a graphic novel about a young boy and his families 2000 mile roadtrip to mexico. It is a story that features themes of coming of age, family, and culture. In addition, it is a newberry award winner, and it is so worthy of it!

Martín brings his successful Mexikid Stories online comic series to print.

Living in California’s Central Coast as a first-generation Mexican American, Pedro (or the “American-style” Peter) struggles to find his place. As an American kid growing up in the 1970s, he loves Star Wars and Happy Days but dislikes the way his five oldest siblings, who were born in Mexico, make him feel less Mexican just because he and the three other younger siblings were born after his parents immigrated to the U.S. to work picking strawberries. A family trip to Jalisco to bring their abuelito back to California to live with them presents Pedro with an opportunity to get in touch with his roots and learn more about the places his family calls home. Told from Pedro’s perspective, the panels read as a stream-of-consciousness travelogue as he regales readers with his adventures from the road. Along the way, Pedro has fresh encounters with Mexican culture and experiences some unexpected side quests. Full of humor, heart, and a decent amount of gross-out moments, Martín’s coming-of-age memoir hits all the right notes. Though the family’s travels took place decades ago, the struggles with establishing identity, especially as a child of immigrants whose identity straddles two cultures, feel as current as ever. The vibrant, action-packed panels offer plentiful details for readers to pore over, from scenes of crowded family chaos to the sights of Mexico.

A retro yet timeless story of family and identity. (family photos, author’s note) (Graphic memoir. 9-14)

-Kirkus Review

Gr 5–8—Pedro’s family embarks on a road trip from California to Mexico to help his abuelito before bringing him
back to the U.S. to live with them. An unpredictable fusion of humorous and reflective moments that gives
fascinating insights into one family’s many stories while hinting at larger cultural questions.

What a great memoir about a trip to Mexico in 1977.

Peter (Americanized from Pedro) well presents life in 1977. He introduces us to his large family, some of whom were born in Mexico. He describes each just as each of us would describe our own siblings. If you grew up as an only child, this memoir is a good look at how siblings interact. You can see how close they are and how they like to tease each other. The parents are unflappable, in my opinion. These are the days before cell phones and "helicopter" parenting. The kids survive, maybe surprisingly. They eat when there's a place at the table vacant and enjoy watching Happy Days, especially loving The Fonz! Because there are no cell phones, there are other ways to contact everyone. When it's time to go, their father has a whistle, which means, we are leaving now. No matter where you are in the store, get moving. My friends' parents did this trick to gather the family. We actually had.a meeting place and time. Yep--life in the 70s! Peter has heard much about his brave grandfather who lived through the Mexican Revolution and has an idealized version of him. They take their RV and head across the border to travel to Jalisco, Mexico to bring Grandfather back to live with them in California, as he is getting older.

The drive through Mexico entails hazards and takes quite a bit of time. The border guards lack ethics and confiscate (steal) many of their things. Peter learns a Jedi mind trick from his dad--pretend you know someone's family in order to lighten what may be about to happen to you. It's better than violence and might work. They also must travel over hazardous roads before RVs existed. Harrowing. The older siblings who were born in Mexico travel in a different vehicle, which gives them additional aid when stuck on the narrow, mountain-type road. The chapters each have a topic. They begin with his family. As the trip begins, the motorhome becomes a chapter so that you know how it's set up to house the sheer number of family members. He explains how using the restroom and drinking can be an adventure on an RV. One of my favorite chapters discusses Mexican toys and how they are unregulated. The best toy is the peepee toy. It's hilarious. [Because there have been educators fired for reading books to children that some deem wrong, I will digress here. If you are offended by body parts, this is not a book for you. Remember, books in the library are not required reading. Everyone of us who grew up in the 70s and 80s have laughed over these scenes. They are funny. Don't go looking for inappropriate moments and call them that. They're statements of fact about his life--it's a toy they played with and it's very funny every time he brings it up in the book.]. Needless to say, the toys can be dangerous. Much in Mexico proves to be dangerous, but the adults face everything with calmness while the kids are unsure and free to experience whatever they come across.

Grandfather turns out to be as tough as Peter imagines. He's strong and capable and quiet. There are many parties as they visit various family members to say good-bye. Before he can leave, Grandfather needs to take care of his mother's grave. This scene could disturb some sensitive kids. Peter's brother has a hard time with it. In this time period, kids weren't protected from everything, so he's got to figure it out. I'm not saying this approach is the best approach; I would have had nightmares for sure. The trip home takes a safer and more tourist-y route. There are some great truths presented: "Life is precious. Money is not." "We drive until we can't go any father, or until we find something cheap or free, and then we stop, may Jesus guide us. Amen."

I loved this book--it was a memorable time period--although I am not Mexico and didn't travel to Mexico--it's the time period that resonated with me. I loved how he celebrates his culture--he's a Mexikid. He's Mexican but born and lives in the United States. It's funny and honest. It values family and life. I keep adding people to my list of who I think would enjoy reading this book. Please, take an afternoon and enjoy!

One summer, Pedro Martin, along with his 8 brothers and sisters, pile in their parents RV and make the incredible journey from California to Pegueros, Mexico, to visit family there and bring their abuelito (grandfather) back to live with them. It is over a 2,000-mile trip. I thoroughly enjoyed this graphic memoir. It is heart-warming and laugh out loud at times. If you are looking for something fun and refreshing, give this one a spin. It is a Newberry Award winner and a deserving one.½

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/lJJ5n5HmXAY

Enjoy!

Pedro Martin has eight siblings. When this large family goes on a road trip, it's quite a production! The family is headed to southern Mexico to pick up their abuelito, a stern man Pedro doesn't know very well. On the trip, Pedro learns much about his heritage and his family, and gains a new appreciation for his dour grandfather.

This graphic memoir is a fun and funny read. The art is clear and bold, as easy to "read" as the text. Fans of graphic memoirs should pick this one up!

The ten-year-old author takes a 2,000-mile family road trip with his parents and eight siblings from California to southern Mexico. They're going to help his grandfather Martín settle up things in the family's hometown in order to bring him back to the States to live with them.

It's all a nice mix of coming of age, humorous sibling bickering, childhood nostalgia about toys and comic books, and awakening to family history and drama. I'm the same age as the author so all the pop culture elements were instantly recognizable, making me wonder if this should be marketed more toward adults than children.

I hope the book does well enough that a collection of Martín's webcomics from Mexikid Stories comes our way in the future. The strip about Leonard Nimoy's "In Search of . . . " TV show especially stood out to me on the page.

First sentence: They call me Peter...but my real name is Pedro.

Premise/plot: This one is a graphic novel MEMOIR. It is set in the summer of 1977. Pedro Martin is recalling/chronicling the adventures/misadventures of a family (round trip) road trip from California to Mexico (and Mexico to California). Being the seventh in a family of nine kids, he's got plenty of stories to share. Long story short, his family is going to Mexico to spend time with the grandfather and make preparations for his return with them to the United States.

My thoughts: This one is great when it comes to details. I'll try to explain what I mean. His details help put you right there in the scene. The sights, sounds, smells, tastes, etc. He is especially good at grounding the book in TIME and presumably in culture.

I enjoyed this one much more than I thought I would. I am not usually a graphic novel reader. It's not my usual type of book to read.

I will say that this one might not be for super-sensitive readers. Namely, his grandfather's "mission" to accomplish before they leave for the United States might make some readers squeamish.

Delightful story.

Mexikid: a kid born in the U.S. to parents from Mexico, a kid who doesn't quite belong in either place. Pedro/Peter Martin is one such mexikid, about to get hauled on a 2,000-mile family trip (two parents, nine kids) in their Winnebago to fetch their grandfather from Mexico and bring him back to the U.S. Pedro learns a lot on the trip from observing his parents, siblings, relatives, and strangers, and crossing the border in both directions. He experiences the joys of Mexican toys, Pop Rocks and soda, and fireworks, and cautiously gets to know his abuelo, learning that there's more hardship and heroics in his family history than he realized.

Some Spanish dialogue is translated with an asterisk at the bottom of the page; other Spanish dialogue can be inferred from context. When a character is only speaking Spanish, it's denoted with "".

Back matter includes captioned photos of "my real-life familia!" and Q&A.

See also: Squished by Megan Wagner Lloyd, Ay, Mija! by Christine Suggs

Quotes

This always happened around here. Big decisions were made, and suddenly we all had to adjust our entire lives! You'd think my vote would count for something here in the USA! I'm kidding, we didn't vote in this house. This house was a Mexican-style dictatorship. (14)

"You never know who knows who in any town. It's always a good idea to be nice to everyone, no matter how poor or unlikely they may be. A good reputation is more valuable than money." (Apa, 107)

Apa had been through more than I realized. (losing brothers and mom, 182)

I wasn't in the mood for a party. I wanted to just blend into the background unnoticed like I do every other place in my life. (205)

Maybe I wasn't "Mexican enough." Fancy haircut aside, if I couldn't express my feelings in a real Mexican fashion [el grito], how Mexican was I? This was the kind of introspection I was trying to avoid from the get-go. (212)

"Stop making me grow up! I refuse to come of age!" (driving, 242)

"But you can be sad about leaving and be happy about it at the same time." (Ama, 259)

"That's the happiness and sadness of the avocado." (Ama, 260-261, symbolism)

"This kind of crisis happened all the time in Abuelito's day. He probably thought you were old enough to handle it. He believed in you." (Lila, 301)½

A poignant, hilarious, and unforgettable graphic memoir about a Mexican-American boy?s family and their adventure-filled road trip to bring their abuelito back from Mexico to live with them. Pedro Martin has grown up hearing stories about his abuelito?his legendary crime-fighting, grandfather who was once a part of the Mexican Revolution!?But that doesn't mean Pedro is excited at the news that Abuelito is coming to live with their family. After all, Pedro has 8 brothers and sisters and the house is crowded enough! Still, Pedro piles into the Winnebago with his family for a road trip to Mexico to bring Abuelito home, and what follows is the trip of a lifetime, one filled with laughs and heartache.

graphic memoir, kid-friendly, 4th grade and up. Popular webcomic author/artist relates the story of a memorable childhood trip to Jalisco to bring back his legendary superhero Abuelito back to Watsonville, CA to live with his parents and 8 siblings.

sweet, funny, and packed with fantastic Mexikid stories.