Why+Does+the+Coqui+Sing

Luz moved to Puerto Rico with her family. Her mom has recently remarried, to a man named Leon, and he wants to live in Puerto Rico. Her real father abandoned the family a few years ago. Her older brother, Rome, isn't very happy in their new home. But her little sister, Marisol, doesn't know the difference. They go to visit her sick grandfather, Tata, and Luz meets Felipe, a boy about her age. They rent a small house that she nicknames Muddy Blue. She soon has to start school, and her first day is terrible. But she soon makes friends with a girl named Rosita. Rosita has a blind mother, a mean uncle, and a dead father. They go to visit Tata again, and Luz and Marisol have a great time with Felipe. Rome is so unhappy that he tries to run away on a ship, but the police catch him. He continues to be grumpy and unhappy. One day, Rosita's uncle is abusive, and Luz calls the police on him. Leon loses his job, and they decide to move to Tata's farm. Leon and her mother decide to let Rome move back to Chicago. Luz is offered a trip back, but she refuses. She has to much to live for in Puerto Rico.

When I read this book, I learned about the small frog, called the Coqui, that only sings in Puerto Rico. I learned that they call grandfathers Tata. For Christmas, the small children leave hay in a box for the camels. The next day, the box is full of treats for them. Some of the food they eat there includes pasteles, guanimes, pigeon peas, yucca, and a desert of tebleque. They have very different traditions than the ones we have.

I thought this book was okay. It's a good book to read if you just want coming of age, or learning about a different culture. But I got kind of bored in the middle. There isn't a lot of action, there's more feelings. //By: Susannah Boersma//