The balance of life on the border of Mexico and Texas is lightly sketched but sure-handed occasional Spanish phrases and the sense of family and community come through. The first-person past-tense narrative creates a sense of distance that flattens characters and renders Apá’s struggles with his health objectively poignant rather than emotionally resonant. Episodic chapters relate moments of the year, each paced like a short story but dependent upon a linear reading, slowly moving the novel to the unsurprising end. But Apá has a stroke on the first day of school, and when he recovers, Chela finds that during her absence popular Camila has stolen her best friend. The year starts with great promise, and Chela confides her dream to her beloved Apá: winning the All-School Girl Trophy. An autobiographical examination of sixth grade, death and life on the border.
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