Under the Mesquite

General YA Novel in Verse

VG/A. McCall, Guadalupe Garcia. Under the Mesquite. Lee & Low books, 2011. 240 p. 9781600604294. $17.95

Lupita is the oldest of eight children living in a Texas border town. As she begins her freshman year of high school, she knows something is wrong. Her mother is keeping a secret, she has cancer. While her parents travel for treatments, Lupita balances her budding interest in being a writer with running the household. Written in verse, Lupita tells her story simply and clearly.

Sarah Mae Harper, CoLAPL- AC Bilbrew Library

Hidden

Middle School Novel in Verse

G/A Frost, Helen. Hidden. France Foster Books, 2011. 147 p. 9780374382216. $16.99

At 8-years old Wren is accidentally kidnapped in a robbery gone wrong. Darra's father was that robber and he is sent to prison. 6 years later, Wren and Darra meet face to face at summer camp and start to heal.

This novel is told in verse first from Wren's perspective, then from Darra's and third part alternates between the two. The novel is well-written but the way the girls meet up is a little too coincidental to be believed.

Sarah Mae Harper, CoLAPL- AC Bilbrew Library