I enjoyed this book greatly because it was the first book I have encountered that was centered around a homeless, poverty-stricken household realistically. The story talked about dumpster diving for anything recyclable just so the mother could afford dinner, the education they were too poor to receive, and the little things that are garbage to some but treasures to others. Even the "happy ending" was not really happy which is so uncommon to see in children's books, but such a common issue in life. I think this is beneficial to not only the children who can relate, but especially to the children who cannot to educate them on how fortunate they are and also that the issues exit in the world because in reality they are likely to encounter it whether it is affecting them or someone they know or even a stranger, at some point in their lives.

This book would be a wonderful resource when teaching about Social Justice and Poverty around the world. When you think about how desperate these children are that they spend every day digging around in the dump trying to find "treasures", food and recyclables to sell in order to get enough to eat. When the children eat the carrots they find in the garbage it was so sad. Even though they do not always find much and often come face to face with a bully that steals whatever they have found, they still go back day after day. Such a sad commentary on the life of some children in our world. A good book for public and school libraries geared to middle grades and even YA.

I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

In my opinion, this was a great book!!! I really enjoyed seeing the bond Pablo and his sister had. Each day the siblings would travel to "treasure mountain," a local dump to find items for their mother to sell. This story focused on a worldwide issue of poverty. It was inspiring to see that each and everyday these kids never gave up until they found a real treasure. The children also showed the true value of teamwork, "pay attention! If you work hard today, we might have enough money for mama to buy half a chicken for dinner." Despite the circumstances they were born into and the local bully interfering the children never gave up. Pablo wanted to find a real treasure whereas his sister just wanted enough items to make money for food. In the end Pablo had found a gold chain, but he had lost sight of why they were searching through the garbage. Through his hard work and bravery he was able to find a real "treasure" or what he thought to be of greater value. The big idea in this story is to never give up. It sounds cliché, but poverty is a huge issue and if we can work as a team we can combat any issue including poverty. The story also teaches a lesson to value you the little things. Many children today don't have to worry about what they are going to eat for dinner, because its never a struggle for their parents to provide. Children need to be more grateful for what they have. Teachers can use this story to help children value their lives a little more and the "treasures" they already have. ( )

In my opinion this story presented a strong theme of the importance of little treasures and how not everything that is held dearly is expensive or hard to find. Pablo and his sister go to the hill in search of treasures to bring back to their mother, but Pablo's and his sister have to different meanings of what a great treasure is or should be. Pablo's sister states," I dream of a treasure (like) chicken for dinner... a new dress for her mom." She believe that treasure is something that they can sell for her mom to appreciate and buy something for herself. On the other hand, Pablo believes in treasure as a book or a gold necklace that he finds. I liked that this book opens the eyes of children so that they can see the significance of all the different treasures in the world that he or she might not realize. Many children today do not realize that having a hot meal every night before bedtime is a "treasure" to many others that do not have them every night. This story teaches children to be grateful for what he or she has and to cherish the treasures that they hold close to their hearts. I would recommend this book to many teachers to ensure their students understanding of the importance of simple treasures. ( )