One Friday afternoon, Amalia comes to Abuelita’s house without her best friend, Martha. Abuelita senses that something is very wrong. The girls have been inseparable since fourth grade. When Amalia tells her grandmother that Martha is moving far away, Abuelita encourages her to keep in touch with her friend. Amalia feels so hurt that she doesn’t even want to say good-bye to Martha. She certainly can’t think about staying in touch through letters. Then, Abuelita dies, and Amalia’s mind relives all of the wonderful times with her grandmother- listening to family stories, making melcocha (taffy) and vanilla cake with strawberries and dulce de leche. Amalia remembers the time Abuelita helped her through a rough time at school. When her mother gives her Abuelita’s olive wood box, Amalia finds the Christmas card that her grandmother made for the coming holiday. The other cards and letters in the box begin to heal Amalia’s hurt heart, and so, Amalia thinks of a way to reconnect with Martha.
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com ( )

This was one we read to practice the bilingual, dual-print, translanguaging identification. I liked seeing both copies and how they differed. This was also helpful to see different uses of spanish language than how I might have learned in a class. ( )

Yo recomiendo este libro porque es una historia interesante pero un poco triste. También porque es una historia bonita y esta en español. Charlie

I enjoyed how this was a light and easy read, although it hit some tough topics like Amalia's best friend moving away and her grandmother dying. Alma did a great job developing the characters in this story, especially with Amalia. You see her emotional roller coaster from living her day to day life, to seeing her best friend move away, then shortly after losing her abuelita (grandmother). Amalia tries to find herself again after all that has happened to her while being surrounded by family she doesn't know.

RGG: A bit didatic and a bit more 5th grade than 6th grade, but heart-felt and emotional. A friend moving away and a grandparent's death are well portrayed. Reading Interest: 9-12.