A teen experiences change in her Spanish Harlem neighborhood when her grandmother arrives from Puerto Rico, and the Young Lords, a Puerto Rican activist group, begin a protest of local conditions. Set in the late 1960s, this novel explores a young Latina’s search for identity during turbulent times. Author’s Note.

HELLO, it's written by MARIA. I was so prepared to love this book. Is it totally unfair to compare it to One Crazy Summer? I really love both books for opening up the issues of the Black Panthers and the Young Lords to the middle grade audience, but this seemed to come up short. It started off great, but gradually lost me. The pacing seemed off--spending a lot of time on summer, then practically jumping to winter break, and then the whole stand off at the church seemed as if it were going on for several weeks or months, but we learn only a few days have passed. The characters from the five and dime seemed forgotten shortly after summer and then felt hastily planted at the end. Also, Evelyn's change of feelings towards her abuela at the very end really threw me for a loop--I felt as if that could have been given more attention. It's not a bad book, but it could be better. ( )

A quick and educational read. I think I would have liked it a bit more for myself if it had been aimed at a slightly older audience - there was a good bit of unnecessary repetition & explanation, and the author's choice to translate every bit of Spanish immediately in the text made for some clunky and I suspect unrealistic dialogue.

That said, the story was simple but well-told, and the characters relatable and believable. I liked getting a bit of my own cultural and political history that I hadn't known about before. I especially liked realizing that some things I assumed were quirks of my own Puerto Rican grandmother - plastic-covered couches, crocheted doilies, and fake flowers everywhere - were actually a cultural thing. So I liked this book in part because it's a reflection of my own story. And how great is it that this reflection exists for Puerto Rican kids today - and that it was written by the actress who played Sesame Street's original Maria, who was probably the first Puerto Rican person many kids of my generation saw on TV. ( )

The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano, is a story about a girl’s own (r)evolution as she discovers part of her identity.

Rosa has decided that her name is too common, so she chooses one of her middle names that is less Spanish and less common. She wants nothing to do with her Puerto Rican ancestry. She finds her mother’s decorating ugly and silly; she also sees her mother as too servile. Evelyn is not particularly kind or understanding toward her mother; she basically wants to leave her smelly barrio behind. She doesn’t like the smell of the food, the people who just hang out the windows, or the Spanish language.

Everything changes when her Abuela arrives. Her Abuela and her mother do not get along at all because her Abuela spent her time fighting for rights instead of raising her daughter. The year is 1969, which is the midst of the Vietnam War and hippies are everywhere in New York; in fact, Woodstock has just occurred. It’s a time for civil rights. A group of “hippies” arrives called The Young Lords and they ask what needs to be done. Some of the people of the barrio say it would be nice to get it cleaned up. The sanitation department does not regularly come and empty the trash receptacles. The young people sweep up and neatly put the bags near the garbage cans. Nothing gets picked up. They use unusual methods to bring attention to a forgotten part of the city. Well, Abuela loves that the Puerto Rican community is finally getting acknowledged. She explains that is was a massacre in 1937 that changed her mind about equality and what it takes to demand respect and rights from the powerful. She ends up helping the Young Lords, pulling Evelyn right along with her. Evelyn finally begins to see and appreciate her own heritage and to understand her mother better.

I enjoyed the novel; it’s written specifically for middle school, so it keeps the message of equality at the appropriate level. You learn quite a bit about Puerto Rico, which seems relevant now after they’ve been in the news for the last year because of the devastating hurricane. It’s a nice historical fiction piece supporting rights for a group of people who were treated as less important. ( )

Rosa Maria Evelyn del Carmen Serrano lives in Spanish Harlem with her conservative mother and activist grandmother. Together they learn to like each other and how to make their voices heard.