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Resau, Laura
8 Reviews
(3)
4-6
In present-day Oaxaca, Mexico, Mateo listens to his abuelo Teo tell of his childhood in a tight-knit Mixtec community and of his foretold "lifelong friendship" with Rom girl Esma, Queen of Lightning. Teo and Esma's tale is one of true friendship, despite cultural differences and opposition from society, and of loves lost and found. Resau's sensory descriptions heighten the tale's sweeping romanticism.
Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz
(4)
YA
The third installment of Resau's Notebook series finds Zeeta and her adventurous mother settled in Mexico, where Zeeta hopes to locate her mysterious father. Though a variety of complications arise, Zeeta quickly connects the dots and finds that her own history is very much entwined with the stories of those around her. Likable characters and a vivid setting temper the many plot conveniences.
Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby
(2)
YA
Virginia is only seven when she's "given" to a mestizo couple. She's expected to cook and clean for them and to care for their child. When she finally returns to her indígenas village as a teenager, she understands that she's caught between several worlds. Virginia's voice will compel readers throughout this story, which is based on Farinango's childhood. Glos.
Reviewer: Nina Lindsay
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
July, 2011
(3)
YA
Zeeta (The Indigo Notebook) and her carefree mom have moved again, this time to Aix-en-Provence, France. The book's mystery involves someone from Zeeta's past leaving gifts for her. Meanwhile, she's attracted to street performer Jean-Claude, complicating her relationship with boyfriend Wendell. For fans of the first book especially, this volume's vivid setting and romance more than compensate for a few credulity-stretching details.
Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter
(2)
4-6
When her illegal-immigrant father is deported back to Mexico, eleven-year-old Zitlally withdraws. She slowly builds trust with outcast Crystal and with a pathetic chained-up dog that she names Star. This novel's topic, unusually gritty for its second- to fifth-grade audience, springs from situations that illegal immigrants face daily. Resau gives her protagonist a lyrical voice and outlook. An author's note is included. Glos.
Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
March, 2010
(3)
YA
Zeeta and her free-spirited mother have lived in fifteen countries in as many years; however, all Zeeta wants is a "normal" life. Now in Ecuador, she befriends a boy named Wendell who's looking for his birth parents, a search that leads to mystics, smugglers, and a community of kindred spirits. Readers will relish Resau's scenic descriptions and appreciate her thoughtful characterizations. Glos.
Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby
(2)
YA
After Border Patrol leaves six-year-old Pablo at her home, sixteen-year-old Sophie and her aunt take Pablo to rural Mexico to visit his extended family. The trip invites shy Sophie to find courage and revel in simple pleasures. Resau excels in gently explicating profound and fragile emotions. The novel is an unconventional portrait of love, built on determination and perseverance.
Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
January, 2008
(3)
4-6
Fourteen-year-old Clara spends the summer with her Mexican grandparents in their rural village of Yucuyoo. Resau lyrically interweaves the stories of Clara's abuelita's youth and Clara's own burgeoning self-awareness and future as a twenty-first-century healer. Vivid descriptions make tangible a setting where underground waterfalls flow and spirit animals guide people toward their destinies.
Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz
8 reviews
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