Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In this idealistic and informative coming-of-age novel set in 1961 Cuba, thirteen-year-old Lora and thousands of other young brigadistas travel hours away to live with poor mountain farmers and become literacy teachers. Lora comes across as a distinct, individual character, but through her readers also learn many details about the brigadistas, the dangers they faced, Cuban politics, and the resilience of the Cuban people. Timeline. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Paterson offers a coming-of-age tale about a girl stepping up to be part of something greater than herself in post-revolution Cuba. It's 1961 in Havana, and 13-year-old Lora, inspired by the revolutionary sense of freedom in the air and her dreams of pushing past the expectations of gender and circumstance placed on her, has decided she wants to be part of Premier Fidel Castro's campaign to make Cuba a literate nation in one year. Soon she finds herself in the countryside with the Conrado Benitez Brigade, teaching and working alongside her campesino host family. But the specter of war and unrest is everywhere, as is the tension between resisting and embracing the coming social change. Readers should not expect an action-packed tale, but the writing is straightforward and moves at a swift pace. Paterson offers a glimpse of the daily life of a brigadista, redressing the cursory associations many have about Castro's Cuba. Hers is a positive study of an amazing moment in history that nonetheless acknowledges the darker political machinations at play. An unnecessary epilogue threatens to undo the nuance of the novel, and the italicized Spanish is distracting, but the themes of literacy, freedom, and community stay strong. Educational and inspiring. (author's note, timeline) (Historical fiction. 10-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.