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More About This Book

Overview

After 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. Tyler isn’t sure what to make of these workers. Are they undocumented? And what about the three daughters, particularly Mari, the oldest, who is proud of her Mexican heritage but also increasingly connected her American life. Her family lives in constant fear of being discovered by the authorities and sent back to the poverty they left behind in Mexico. Can Tyler and Mari find a way to be friends despite their differences?

In a novel full of hope, but no easy answers, Julia Alvarez weaves a beautiful and timely story that will stay with readers long after they finish it.

Winner of the 2010 Pura Belpre Award for Narrative

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

After Tyler's father's accident, his family hires undocumented Mexican workers in a last-ditch effort to keep their Vermont farm. Despite his reservations, Tyler soon bonds with a worker's daughter, who is in his sixth-grade class. His problems seem small compared to Mari's: her family fears deportation, and her mother has been missing since re-entering the States months ago. While this novel is certainly issue-driven, Alvarez (Before We Were Free) focuses on her main characters, mixing in Mexican customs and the touching letters that Mari writes to her mother, grandmother and even the U.S. president. Readers get a strong sense of Tyler's growing maturity, too, as he navigates complicated moral choices. Plot developments can be intense: Mari's uncle lands in jail, and her mother turns out to have been kidnapped and enslaved during her crossing. Some characters and sentiments are over-the-top, but readers will be moved by small moments, as when Tyler sneaks Mari's letter to her imprisoned uncle, watching as the man puts his palm on the glass while Tyler holds up the letter from the other side. A tender, well-constructed book. Ages 8-12. (Jan.)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Children's Literature
Although going into the sixth grade may have its challenges, Tyler has become somewhat hardened to those since his father's farming accident has left him handicapped and in need of more help than his son can provide. With his older brother going off to college, Tyler feels even more burdened by the running the farm than when his role was just that of second son and younger brother. On awakening one morning to find new faces occupying the trailer where hired help has stayed in the past, the young farmer is both relieved and confused. Who are these people? Where did they come from? Will they be able to save the farm? Are they even legal? Thus, begins the saga of lots of gray areas and little black and white in this young adult novel expressing sympathy for illegal immigrants. Alvarez alternates voices from chapter to chapter, giving readers varying views of some difficult questions. Tyler's mom is a teacher. His father has been successfully managing a farm that is a legacy from generations back. After the accident, there must be more hands, and financial means are limited. To add interest and empathy, alternating chapters are from the point of view of Mari, a daughter of one of the Mexican workers. Mari wants to stay in the United States, but her mother has returned to Mexico and has become lost to her family. Interwoven in the story of Tyler's secure family structure is the dysfunction of Mari's. Readers are also brought face to face with the cruelty of the "coyotes" that promise safe passage into the States, but instead steal money and make their own countrymen and women slaves. Because of some understated sexual situations, readers below eleven may lack the maturity to read this book.Also bothersome is the painting of ICE officers in entirely unpleasant colors when they enforce the law. However, older readers need to look at the realities occurring on both sides of the border, and both sides of the illegal immigrant question. Maybe the next generation will have some plausible answers. Reviewer: Janice DeLong
More Reviews (2) Fewer Reviews
School Library Journal

Gr 4-7

Sixth-grader Tyler Paquette lives in a dairy-farming community in Vermont. His father was injured in a tractor accident and must now turn to undocumented Mexican laborers to run the farm. Thus, a trailer on the property soon becomes home to the Cruz family-sixth-grader Mari, her two younger sisters, father, and two uncles, all needing work to survive and living with fear of la migra . They have had no word on Mari's mother, missing now for several months. Tyler and Mari share an interest in stargazing, and their extended families grow close over the course of one year with holiday celebrations and shared gatherings. Third-person chapters about Tyler alternate with Mari's lengthy, unmailed letters to her mother and diary entries. Touches of folksy humor surface in the mismatched romance of Tyler's widowed Grandma and cranky Mr. Rossetti. When "coyotes" contact Mr. Cruz and set terms for his wife's freedom, Tyler secretly loans the man his savings, then renegotiates a promised birthday trip in order to accompany Mari to North Carolina to help rescue her abused mother. When immigration agents finally raid the farm and imprison both Cruz parents, it signals an end to the "el norte" partnership, but not the human connections. This timely novel, torn right from the newspaper headlines, conveys a positive message of cooperation and understanding.-Susan W. Hunter, Riverside Middle School, Springfield, VT

Kirkus Reviews
Tyler is the son of generations of Vermont dairy farmers. Mari is the Mexican-born daughter of undocumented migrant laborers whose mother has vanished in a perilous border crossing. When Tyler's father is disabled in an accident, the only way the family can afford to keep the farm is by hiring Mari's family. As Tyler and Mari's friendship grows, the normal tensions of middle-school boy-girl friendships are complicated by philosophical and political truths. Tyler wonders how he can be a patriot while his family breaks the law. Mari worries about her vanished mother and lives in fear that she will be separated from her American-born sisters if la migra comes. Unashamedly didactic, Alvarez's novel effectively complicates simple equivalencies between what's illegal and what's wrong. Mari's experience is harrowing, with implied atrocities and immigration raids, but equally full of good people doing the best they can. The two children find hope despite the unhappily realistic conclusions to their troubles, in a story which sees the best in humanity alongside grim realities. Though it lacks nuance, still a must-read. (Fiction. 9-11)

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780375851230
  • Publisher: Random House Children's Books
  • Publication date: 9/14/2010
  • Pages: 352
  • Sales rank: 65,092
  • Age range: 10 - 12 Years
  • Lexile: 0890L (what's this?)
  • Product dimensions: 5.10 (w) x 7.60 (h) x 1.00 (d)

Meet the Author

Julia Alvarez
Julia Alvarez
Julia Alvarez is the author of several novels for young readers including How Tía Lola Came to Visit Stay, Finding Miracles, and Before We Were Free, winner of the ALA’s Pura Belpré Award. Her books for adults include How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, In the Time of the Butterflies, and Once Upon a Quinceañera. She is a writer-in-residence at Middlebury College in Vermont.

Biography

Julia Alvarez was born in New York City during her Dominican parents' "first and failed" stay in the United States. While she was still an infant, the family returned to the Dominican Republic -- where her father, a vehement opponent of the Trujillo dictatorship, resumed his activities with the resistance. In 1960, in fear for their safety, the Alvarezes fled the country, settling once more in New York.

Alvarez has often said that the immigrant experience was the crucible that turned her into a writer. Her struggle with the nuances of the English language made her deeply conscious of the power of words, and exposure to books and reading sharpened both her imagination and her storytelling skills. She graduated summa cum laude from Middlebury College in 1971, received her M.F.A. from Syracuse University, and spent the next two decades in the education field, traveling around the country with the poetry-in-the-schools program and teaching English and Creative Writing to elementary, high school, and college students.

Alvarez's verse began to appear in literary magazines and anthologies, and in 1984, she published her first poetry collection, Homecoming. She had less success marketing her novel -- a semiautobiographical story that traced the painful assimilation of a Dominican family over a period of more than 30 eventful years. A series of 15 interconnected stories that unfold in reverse chronological order, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents addresses, head-on, the obstacles and challenges immigrants face in adapting to life in a new country.

It took some time for "ethnic" literature to gain enough of a foothold in the literary establishment for Alvarez's agent, a tireless champion of minority authors, to find a publisher. But when the novel was released in 1991, it received strongly positive reviews. And so, at the tender age of 41, Alvarez became a star. Three years later, she proved herself more than a "one-hit wonder," when her second novel, In the Time of Butterflies was nominated for the prestigious National Book Critics Circle Award. Since then, she has made her name as a writer of remarkable versatility, juggling novels, poetry, children's books, and nonfiction with equal grace and aplomb. She lives in Vermont, where she serves as a writer in residence at her alma mater, Middlebury College. In addition, she and her husband run a coffee farm in the Dominican Republic that hosts a school to teach the local farmers and their families how to read and write.

Good To Know

From 1975 until 1978, Alvarez served as Poet-in-the-Schools in Kentucky, Delaware, and North Carolina.

She has held positions as a professor of creative writing and English at Phillips Andover Academy in Massachusetts (1979-81), the University of Vermont (1981-83), and the University of Illinois (1985-88).

In 1984, Alvarez was the Jenny McKean Moore Visiting Writer at George Washington University. Currently, she is a professor of English at Middlebury College.

She and her husband run a coffee farm, Alta Gracia, in the Dominican Republic.

    1. Hometown:
      Middlebury, Vermont
    1. Date of Birth:
      March 27, 1950
    2. Place of Birth:
      New York, New York
    1. Education:
      B.A., Middlebury College, 1971; M.F.A., Syracuse University, 1975

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4
( 21 )

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 22 Customer Reviews

  • Posted January 13, 2009

    more from this reviewer

    Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

    Julia Alvarez's new book, RETURN TO SENDER, explores the issue of illegal immigration. Two twelve-year-olds share their connected stories involving this politically sensitive subject.

    Tyler's family runs a dairy farm. Up until the sudden death of his grandfather and then his father's farming accident, things had been going well. Now that his older brother is leaving for college, there isn't enough help around to do all that needs doing on the farm.

    Tyler returns from a visit to his aunt and uncle's to learn that some new folks have moved into the trailer next door. The new people include a Mexican man, his two brothers, and his three daughters. There seems to be some secret about their presence on the farm that Tyler doesn't understand. They have started helping with the milking and other chores and seem to be a big help for his father; however, his mother seems hesitant to reveal too much information about the family.

    From comments around town and the little bit Tyler overhears from his parents' discussions, he finally realizes that they might actually be breaking the law. The new workers are in the U.S. illegally. According to the information Tyler has gathered, not only could these new workers be arrested, but his parents could also be found guilty because they've hired the undocumented workers. Even though they seem to be saving the farm, they could bring more trouble than they are worth.

    When school begins in September, Tyler learns that Mari, the oldest daughter, will be in his class. They begin talking and Tyler discovers that Mari is shy but friendly. As their friendship grows, he finds himself not thinking about her questionable status in his country; that is, until she becomes the victim of several cruel bullies in his class. In his attempt to defend Mari, he and his family also become a target. Tyler experiences some difficult times as he struggles to understand loyalty to friends, family, and country.

    Mari's voice is heard through letters and diary entries as she recounts her view of living in the United States. Love for her own country and her appreciation for what the U.S. has to offer are both clear as she reacts to the situations around her.

    RETURN TO SENDER presents a sympathetic view of the plight of illegal immigrants. It portrays their desire for a better life as well as the help they provide for struggling small farm owners. Though the issue is much more complicated, perhaps this book's message could give today's politicians something to think about.

    4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted March 1, 2012

    Sooooooo Good

    Soooo good!!!! Once i started reading it i just couldnt stop reading!! This book teaches you that just because someones looks different on the outside, doesnt mean that they are different on the inside. You can be friends with anyone!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 13, 2012

    Ok

    I would give it a 3 star rating because, i dont like the way its written. It has somewhat of a narrarator. And the narrarator says stuff like tyler watches as ..... happens.

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  • Posted August 31, 2011

    Amazing!

    This book is amazing! I read it for Battle of the Books and it was very touching. Julia Alvarez is a great author.

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  • Posted July 28, 2011

    more from this reviewer

    Friendship Beyond Borders.

    *Gives insight into Operation Return to Sender instituted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (a.k.a. ICE or La migra to some) in 2006. *Emotional. *Heart-wrenching. *A real eye-opener. *Offers an education about what may happen to workers without legal papers. *Learn the meaning of "La Golondrina," esperanza, and what a "coyote" is, and not the animal.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted March 21, 2011

    yea its ok

    well when i first got it i expected nothing like it... which i guess is a good thing? overall it was good.

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  • Posted December 8, 2010

    Beautiful Story!

    After Tyler's father's accident, the family must hire undocumented workers to maintain the farm so they don't forclose on thier land. Amoungst these undocumented workers is a father of three daughters who were born in America but have no papers. Tyler befriends Mari, the oldest of the three girls, and soon finds that although they're different in many ways they can still have a bond that neither will ever forget.
    This story truly captivated me, being of Mexican descent. I felt a strong connection to Mari-the oldest of three sisters trying to cope with the unknown whereabouts of their mother after re-entering the United States from Mexico to be with her family- because of how she had to become the role of mother and having to mature faster than any child should. I was always on the edge of my seat worrying that the family would be discovered and deported back to Mexico to a world of violence and poverty. Aside from the suspense of them getting caught there is the constant question of where Mari's mother is. Throughout the book she writes to her mother telling her about everything that is going on, but never sends them because her father doesn't want any trace back to their whereabouts. This book is a great story for children who want to learn more about culture and what it means to be a migrant. I think it would be a great story to have in a classroom library when teaching students about issues dealing with immigration and heritage. I truly loved this story and will probably never forget it.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted September 2, 2010

    THIS BOOK WAS A VERY DEEP AND TOUCHING READ

    RETURN TO SENDER presents a symphathetic view of the plight of illegal immigrants.It portrays their desire for a better life as well as the help they provide for struggling small farm owners.Though the issue is much more complicated,perhaps this book`s message could give todays politicians something to think about.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

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