A Sea of Lemon Trees: The Corrido of Roberto Alvarez

Gr 4-6–A poignant novel in verse centering the true story of a community who rallied together to protect the right of Mexican children to attend school. Roberto Alvarez is a 12-year-old Mexican American boy, the youngest in his family, and he loves to read and learn. His neighborhood, or colonia, is a loving place that takes care of one another in good times and bad. When Roberto and the other Mexican kids from the colonia are told they are no longer allowed to attend the local school, the adults gather to fight against the segregationist powers to protect the future of their children. Roberto finds himself the face of the movement and hopes that he has what it takes to be a leader for his people and spread change. This well-written story of underexplored history makes a large impact as it follows Roberto’s highs and lows in realizing that the cause that he is fighting so hard for deeply impacts not just the people around him, but others struggling minorities around the country as well. The poetic format eloquently describes the emotions that flow through Roberto while still effectively relaying the facts of the Lemon Tree Incident reported in the back matter. Spanish language and phrases are used heavily throughout the novel; there is no glossary.