by Virginia Hildebrandt

An appropriate story for the Novice-Mid Spanish reader: Level 3 students can read it on their own and level 2 students can read it as a class story. This novel uses high frequency vocabulary in an adventurous coming-of-age story set in Guatemala.

Indigenous culture and traditional rural lifestyle is embedded in the novel underscoring the importance of historical ethnicity and the challenge that communities face as they struggle to maintain values and ancient practices. Readers share Xóchitl's view of her reality as she yearns for a more contemporary lifestyle. Her struggle is one that many young people face as they try to stay true to their ethnic heritage and history while balancing influences of the progressive world around them.