Dominic Carrillo

Set in Bulgaria, this novel follows three teenagers, as they find ways to fight against the Nazi intruders. Misha is hiding his Jewish identity by working for a prominent archbishop. Peter, travels with his father to the capital, to warn the government of planned Jewish deportations. Lily, works at the government offices in charge of deporting Jews. When she learns of a planned attack, she leaks word to the local resistance.

I had a bit of trouble with this book, it felt like a translation. Not everything really worked together, and I never really got to know the characters beyond surface level. The plot was well paced, and the three stories worked well together. Overall, 3 out of 5 stars.… (más)

-one sentence theme: In an act of rebellion, Nia leaves her family and runs away with a drug dealer on a road trip through California.
-Plot summary: In this sequel to Carrillo's "Unusual Suspects", Nia is visiting family in California. She feels foreign and isolated, at odds with her mother and grandmother. So when a cute boy offers her a ride down the coast to visit an old friend, Nia doesn't think twice. Regretfully, she must face the consequences of this rash decision and stop running away from a closer relationship with her mother.
-Personal response: Carrillo's writing gets better with each book. I can easily identify with this lonely teen and her desire to live life on the wild side. Throughout the story there is reference made to the difference between American and Bulgarian culture which is enlightening. Our family and culture inadvertently color all our thoughts and actions.
-Curricular connections: Nia keeps referring to the novel she is reading, "Catcher in the Rye", with its theme of angst and alienation. And her story parallels that of the character of Holden Caulfield, in a more modern setting, and with a more satisfying ending. The two make a good comparison study.… (más)

-One sentence theme: A young run-away meets and travels on a train with an elderly man who has an accidental habit of killing people.
-Plot summary: Nia is an eighth grader living in Bulgaria who is suffering from the betrayal of her first love. She decides to run away and travel by train to Berlin and try to win him back. She receives some unexpected help from an elderly man nearing the end of his life and contemplating suicide. Together they manage to see things from a different angle which gives them a reason to go back and keep living their lives.
-Personal response: I know the author personally and have lived in Bulgaria for several years. I can identify with the lost sense of not belonging, and the forced isolation that comes with wealth and privilege, within the the international community abroad. And I love the way the story is written alternatively from the girl's and then the old man's point of view. It has parallels with "A Man Called Ove' (Backman)in the way that it teaches empathy and the importance of relationships.
-Curricular connections: The author, Dominic Carrillo, is a Middle School English teacher and has definitely made the classroom his target audience. That may be the reason this book ends up slightly "preachy", with the main character, Nia, growing up overnight and imparting her new wisdom with the other teens who had previously been her enemies. She is quite articulate about the realization that her petty desire for revenge and her selfish attitude has got her nowhere. The plot continually refers to the Count of Monte Cristo (Dumas) as the characters find relevance in the classic for their lives today.… (más)