Under the Mesquite, by Guadalupe Garcia McCall, is the well descriptive story about Lupita and her family and all of the new challenges and barriers that are introduced because of her mother’s recently diagnosed cancer, and how the group tries to deal and overcome these barriers within their lives. To start off, a majority of Under the Mesquite takes place in Mexico, Lupita’s home country, however, as a six year-old, she and the rest of her family had to move to los Estados Unidos, or the United States because of her father’s newfound job there. In this novel, the most important character of the plot is Lupita, first born out of the eight children conceived by her papí and her mamí, is the one who will be the narrator of the story, telling all of her experiences, both good and bad, in a manner that will make you feel very close and connected with her. The other characters, as previously mentioned are her mamí and papí, who are Lupita’s parents and will also end up being very important to the book’s plot. Finally, the rest include Lupita’s seven younger siblings which are (in order by age): Analiza, Victoria, Paco--all born in Mexico, Tita, Juanita, Rosita, and her baby brother Benito--all of which born in the United States. The plot of the book, Under the Mesquite, is about Lupita, and her brand new challenges that she and her family members must face, all because of her mother’s cancer slowly developing within her. Overtime, she will have to learn how to overcome these decisions and how to accept change within the world and the events that are taking place, and soon will have to take on a new responsibility. McCall’s writing style is very unique when compared to many run-of-the-mill books, as it takes the reader through the massive journey that is of Lupita, with freeform poetry. With this unexpected decision, it still makes the best of it, with McCall, the writing is very descriptive, generating a nearly perfect atmosphere for every single event that takes place, all while giving us a good look at a majority of the main characters’ personalities. Overall, McCall is a very well experienced writing, taking us on a wonderful, descriptive journey through her writing. Here are some quotes from the book to show how well written this novel truly is: “The mesquites listens quietly－as if the poems budding in my heart, then blossoming in my notebook, are Scripture－and never tells a soul the things I write” “All the girls around me dropped their scarlet mouths wide-open, like a circle of Venus flytraps, and laughed hysterically at me” Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall, is a very well made novel. Just by how simply lovely the description is in each part of the book makes it seem as if you are right in Lupita’s shoes and experiencing how she feels, all of the conflicts within her life, and the way Lupita and her family deals with her Mother's newfound cancer. The novel made me feel as if I was facing all of the hardships she’s facing, sometimes making me filled with glee, others with pity, and sometimes even sorrow. Overall, this book is nearly flawless, having amazing description of the situation. To conclude, her are some extra bits of fact that you might not of known about the author, Guadalupe Garcia McCall, and the simply stunning novel that she has thought of: The novel’s plot is based of McCall’s real-life experience during her teenage years and all of the difficult barriers and challenges that came with this time in her life Under the Mesquite won the Pura Belprė Award in 2012 for creating a novel that best portrays, affirms, Latino cultural experience.
Under the Mesquite
By Guadalupe Garcia Mccall
| Interest Level | Reading Level | Reading A-Z | ATOS | Word Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 6 - 8 | Grades 10 - 9 | X | 5.7 | 16715 |
Lupita, a budding actor and poet in a close-knit Mexican American immigrant family, comes of age as she struggles with adult responsibilities during her mother's battle with cancer in this young adult novel in verse.
When Lupita learns Mami has cancer, she is terrified by the possibility of losing her mother, the anchor of her close-knit family. Suddenly, being a high school student, starring in a play, and dealing with friends who don't always understand, become less important than doing whatever she can to save Mami's life.
While her father cares for Mami at an out-of-town clinic, Lupita takes charge of her seven younger siblings. As Lupita struggles to keep the family afloat, she takes refuge in the shade of a mesquite tree, where she escapes the chaos at home to write. Forced to face her limitations in the midst of overwhelming changes and losses, Lupita rediscovers her voice and finds healing in the power of words.
Told with honest emotion in evocative free verse, Lupita's journey toward hope is captured in moments that are alternately warm and poignant. Under the Mesquite is an empowering story about testing family bonds and the strength of a young woman navigating pain and hardship with surprising resilience.
Book Reviews (21)
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In the book Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall, you witness the main character Lupita and her siblings deal with their mother having cancer. The main characters in Under the Mesquite are Lupita the persistent and eldest child, her siblings the confused followers and her parents the hopeful leaders Under the Mesquite is located in mexico in the begging, the parents mve . In the book, readers find Lupita, her 8 siblings and dad and mom are faced with a massive problem, their mother has cancer. Not only is the cancer a problem, money is too. With not enough money for surgeries, their hopeful parents find a way to pay for everything. Lupita being the oldest has to find a way to be strong not only in front of her family but also in front of her friends. Guadalupe Garcia McCall’s writing style is in the form of a poem in first person point of view. She includes figurative language that really helps you visualize what’s she’s going through and how she feels. “In her eyes looks up at us From between her sheets As if she didn’t recognize us” “Tears run down my cheeks Without my permission, Leaving hot trails on my face” This is an example of the form of writing. Under the Mesquite- Made me feel like I was in lupitas shoes and i felt exactly how she felt. It made me realize how great full i am to have all i have and it definitely changed me from when i started reading the book. Under the Mesquite, won the Pura Belpre Award. The author, Guadalupe Garcia McCall, actually lived in mexico and moved to Texas. Just like Lupita she trained in theater arts and English and is now a English/Language arts teacher at a junior high school. This book is based on difficult experiences she faced in her teen years, I guess you could say Lupita is Guadalupe Garcia McCall. In my opinion i’d recommend the book because it explains the conflict in a interesting writing form and shows how lucky we are to have what we have.
Guadalupe Garcia McCall, the author of Under the Mesquite, takes her readers to a place where cancer takes over Lupita’s life. The setting of Under the Mesquite is half Mexican and half Texas. In this time everything is going on that will shape her and her life. The book does not fully tell you what time period it is but I don’t think it was that long ago. The main characters in Under the Mesquite are Mimi, Lupita, Papi, Analiza, Victoria, Paco, Tita, Juanita, Rosita and Benito.Readers are introduced to Lupita and her family by the poems in the first chapter. This book really makes you feel like you are in their family experiencing everything, from cancer to the money her family has. Guadalupe’s writing style is like a book of poems. I really love it because the book has so much detail that you can feel like what Lupita feels. The poem style also makes you feel like you can read more without getting bored, but it is just overall just a good book. “She seems to cast a spell on us before gliding silently away on magical wings,” and “ We all crowd around her like baby chicks eager for the warmth of her wing.” These quotes prove that the writer can really work words. When I read Under the Mesquite I got very connected. I actually started crying one time( my mom thought something was wrong and got mad at me for crying over a book). This book will make you have mood swings like you can't imagine. Under the Mesquite got the Pura Belpre Award. Guadalupe Garcia McCall really makes her life into a book about someone else this book is very changing.
Guadalupe Garcia McCall, the author of Under the Mesquite, takes you on a journey through the life of Lupita, the oldest of eight siblings trying to fight through the ordeal of their mother’s cancer. The setting in Under the Mesquite starts in Mexico, where Lupita was born. The family then moves to Eagle Pass, Texas where they spend most of the story.The main characters in Under the Mesquite are Lupita and her family; Mamí, Papí, Analiza, Victoria, Paco, the older children plus Tita, Juanita, Rosita, and Benito, the younger children. Readers are introduced to Lupita, a teenage girl going through high school. High school drama, sibling problems and in the middle of it all, Lupita has to try to accept that cancer could take her mother from her forever. McCall’s writing style makes you feel as if you’re going through life with Lupita as she struggles through all the problems that come with her mother’s cancer. I like this style because the way she describes life through Lupita’s eyes makes it seem like you’re off to the side watching. The figurative language and details paint a picture for your mind so you feel like you’re right under the mesquite tree with Lupita, as well as the Spanish words throughout the book that give the book a foreign feel. “She seems cast a spell on us before gliding silently away on magical wings.” “We crowd around her like baby chicks eager for the warmth under her wing.” These are both quotes from Under the Mesquite that make you not be able to put the book down. Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall won the Pura Belpré Award. Under the Mesquite is McCall’s first novel, and she used her own experiences to write it.
Under the mesquite is about a girl named Lupita she goes through a lot of tough things such as her mom getting cancer and her friends bullying her at school. her family is her her mami, papi and her 8 siblings. they live in a bilingual town called EL Aguila Texas mami gets cancer and has to be taken care of by papi so Lupita is in charge of her siblings. at school she does drama at school and she tries to lose her accent but her friends make fun of her. what i like about this book is that even though its fiction it could still happen in real life. one of my favorite quotes is “I don't tell her that this is how I've dealt with the last two years of seeing her suffer.” because it shows how much Lupita loves mami. it's a beautiful story and i encourage you guys to go read it.
The author McCall writes in a way that moves your soul. You feel as if you are 15 year old Lupita being teased and called names just for trying to achieve her dreams. McCall also gives inspiring messages. “Mami’s cultivating six budding daughters and two rowdy sons: eight thriving blue roses clustered together so closely, they tremble as they cling to the withering stem of mami’s waning life”. Under the Mesquite, was an unforgettable book. It tied in the real experiences of people who immigrate to the US and gives you despair when Lupita’s close family bond with her family starts to break away piece by piece as her mother is slowly consumed by a deadly disease. It is a thrilling novel!
Under the Mesquite is a great book to read if you don’t know what to read and if you like books that aren’t too long and lengthy. I would’ve never thought that I’d love it as much as I do and I think everyone can love it if they read it. It isn’t too long or too short so it can suit everyone’s preferences with length. It also felt like I was in their house and Lupitas school, looking through her eyes and seeing and hearing everything she heard. I encourage everyone who loves plot twists and turns to read the book because there are a lot of times where those happen, but there are also a lot of times where you can guess what happens so it doesn’t get too confusing or as emotional as it could be if there wasn’t. Under the Mesquite has won many awards which include: Pura Belpré Author Award Winner, Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award, William C. Morris YA Debut Award Finalist, Best of the Best Books, Notable Children's Book, Notable Books for a Global Society, Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Finalist, Best Teen Books, and a Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award. Guadalupe Garcia McCall wrote many poems that appear in books and Under the Mesquite was her first book. Also, Guadalupe Garcia McCall lives in Texas and is Mexican-American.
This book had a interesting plot, but has a lot of emotions with it. It may also make the reader have a feeling of sympathy.
This book made me really sad, and I recommend this book to teens. It is very authentic, and makes you feel different emotions.
never read this book it is so territorial really bad emotions the only good part is when the mom died