Tyler, who loves life on the farm, has a brother who is off to college with no farming ambitions and a teenage sister who is, not surprisingly, mostly interested in boys. They were already here.” Alvarez immediately draws in the reader, young and old alike, through her sympathetic and honest take on Tyler’s family. He asks his parents if they went to Mexico to hire the Cruz family while he was visiting his aunt and uncle. Because of his grandfather’s recent death and a farm accident that left his father disabled, Tyler knows that the survival of his family’s farm is in jeopardy. We meet them through Tyler, an earnest and likable sixth-grader who has discovered that his parents hired a Mexican family to work on the farm. The Paquette family lives on a Vermont dairy farm that has been in their family for generations, and the Cruz family is from Mexico. Return to Sende r takes the hot-button topic of undocumented Mexican workers and brings it into focus through the story of two families, one American, and one Mexican. BooklistĪ tender, well-constructed book.In Return to Sender, Julia Alvarez, popular American novelist whose cultural roots are in the Dominican Republic, has once again turned her depth of insight and imagination to the young adult genre.

The questions raised about the meaning of patriotism will spark debate. The plot is purposive, with messages about the historical connections between migrant workers today and the Indians' displacement, the Underground Railroad, and earlier immigrants seeking refuge. This timely novel, torn right from the newspaper headlines, conveys a positive message of cooperation and understanding. This timely novel, torn right from the newspaper In a novel full of hope, but with no easy answers, Julia Alvarez weaves a beautiful and timely story that will stay with readers long after they finish it.Īn NCS-CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social StudiesĬommunicates in compassionate and expressive prose the more difficult points of perhaps the most pressing social issue of our day. Can Tyler and Mari find a way to be friends despite their differences? Her family lives in constant fear of being discovered by the authorities and sent back to the poverty they left behind in Mexico. Are they undocumented? And what about the three daughters, particularly Mari, the oldest, who is proud of her Mexican heritage but also increasingly connected to her American life. Tyler isn't sure what to make of these workers. This Description may be from another edition of this product.Īn award-winning, moving, and timely story about the families of undocumented workers by renowned author Julia Alvarez.Īfter Tyler's father is injured in a tractor accident, his family is forced to hire migrant Mexican workers to help save their Vermont farm from foreclosure.

Devolver al Remitente by Julia Alvarez