Tortilla Sun

by Jennifer Cervantes

Overview

When twelve-year-old Izzy spends the summer in her Nana's remote New Mexico village, she discovers long-buried secrets that come alive in an enchanted landscape of majestic mountains, whispering winds, and tortilla suns. Infused with the flavor of the southwest and sprinkled with just a pinch of magic, readers are sure to find this heartfelt story as rich and satisfying as Nana's homemade enchiladas.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452131504
Publisher:	Chronicle Books LLC
Publication date:	04/01/2014
Series:	A Latino Book of Concepts Series
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	77,775
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 7.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	620L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Jennifer Cervantes lives with her family in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Tortilla Sun is her first novel for children.

Editorial Reviews

In this strong debut, Cervantes relies on the tried-and-tried recipe of a preadolescent forced to spend summer in an unfamiliar environment, but spices it up with a dash of magical realism and a vibrant New Mexico landscape. Twelveyear-old Izzy, whose father died before she was born, is sent to live with her grandmother while her mother completes a research project. An aspiring writer, Izzy is haunted by the mystery of her father's death and frustrated by her mother's refusal to talk about him. Once in her parents' native village, she begins to find answers to her questions about his life and death-- and her own birth. Colorful characters-- an orphaned six-year-old girl; a prophetic storyteller; a handsome 13-year-old neighbor--accompany Izzy on her quest for her heritage; mouthwatering descriptions of her grandmother's culinary gifts waft tantalizingly through the tale. Cervantes fills her story with mystical possibilities-- talking with spirits, hearing what the wind whispers, gathering powerful herbs by moonlight--but also with the inescapable realities of illness, death, and mourning. The result is an imaginative yet grounded novel. Ages 8-12. (June)

Publishers Weekly

BOOKLIST
Cervantes first novel is rich with local color-both physical landscapes and traditional spiritual beliefs....this should be popular with readers who enjoyed Sharon Creech s Granny Torrelli Makes Soup (2003) or Pam Mu oz Ryan s Becoming Naomi Leon (2004).

BOOKLIST
Cervantes first novel is rich with local color-both physical landscapes and traditional spiritual beliefs....this should be popular with readers who enjoyed Sharon Creech s Granny Torrelli Makes Soup (2003) or Pam Mu oz Ryan s Becoming Naomi Leon (2004).

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
[A] strong debut....Cervantes fills her story with mystical possibilities— talking with spirits, hearing what the wind whispers, gathering powerful herbs by moonlight—but also with the inescapable realities of illness, death, and mourning. The result is an imaginative yet grounded novel.

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
[A] strong debut....Cervantes fills her story with mystical possibilities— talking with spirits, hearing what the wind whispers, gathering powerful herbs by moonlight—but also with the inescapable realities of illness, death, and mourning. The result is an imaginative yet grounded novel.

KIRKUS REVIEWS
Cervantes evokes the beauty of the setting and develops a memorable cast of characters, brought to life through Izzy s heartfelt narration. A beautiful and engaging debut novel.

KIRKUS REVIEWS
Cervantes evokes the beauty of the setting and develops a memorable cast of characters, brought to life through Izzy s heartfelt narration. A beautiful and engaging debut novel.

SCHOOL LIBRARY REVIEW
"This gentle family story may hold appeal for those who have enjoyed the works of Pam Mu oz Ryan and Toby Johnston."

SCHOOL LIBRARY REVIEW
"This gentle family story may hold appeal for those who have enjoyed the works of Pam Mu oz Ryan and Toby Johnston."

From the Publisher

Gr 5–7—Twelve-year-old Izzy is dismayed to learn that her widowed mother will be finishing her studies in Costa Rica, and that she will spend the summer with her grandmother in New Mexico. Before she leaves, she uncovers a baseball that belonged to her father. It has a mysterious message scrawled across it, "Because…magic," and, like all things relating to her late husband, Izzy's mother won't explain. Nana warmly welcomes her granddaughter to her remote village, a place that seems frozen in time. Izzy meets Nana's friends and neighbors, learns to make tortillas, and watches her grandmother, a curandera, prepare folk remedies. She also begins to uncover the mystery surrounding her father's life and death. Cervantes's prose is lean and lightly spiced with evocative metaphor. Unfortunately, the plot feels all too familiar: the wise grandmother, the loving mother who refuses to speak of the past, and the melodramatic resolution. The characters are gracefully limned yet fail to rise above convention. This gentle family story may hold appeal for those who have enjoyed the works of Pam Muñoz Ryan and Toby Johnston.—Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA

School Library Journal