Alejandria Fights Back!/¡La Lucha de Alejandria!

Gr 1-5–The rent is going up again. “For sale” signs are everywhere in Alejandria’s barrio. Friends are having to move—what’s going to happen to her neighborhood? What about her friends and family? Her mom and abuela, Tita, are from Nicaragua, but nine-year-old Alejandria was born in the United States. She remembers Tita’s stories about community activism back in her old country. The young girl and her abuela head for the library and then to the office of a community organization for tenant rights. They rally their neighbors and together they head for city hall to make their case. Despite feeling “hormiguitas” or little ants crawling around in her belly, Alejandria steps in front of the microphone and asks for a new law that would protect people and their homes regardless of income. Alejandria is a hero for change! Hernández-Linares’s bilingual story in Spanish and English addresses the power of focused intent in the face of insurmountable odds and includes a glossary and website. Liu-Trujillo’s watercolor illustrations highlight a diverse community and its journey toward empowerment.