La tierra de las papas

Gr 9 Up—When María's father breaks the news that they will be moving from Spain to Bolivia due to his work with solar energy, María's world will never be the same. She resents that her Padre has hired Casilda, a girl who is not much older than María, to cook, clean, and help around the house. She insults Casilda's cleanliness and cooking and is very offensive in her way of thinking of the indigenous people of La Paz. When María sees several adults being racist and rude, she realizes that she is not much different from them, and begins to change by spending time with Casilda. María learns more about the extreme poverty in Bolivia, and about the beliefs Casilda's family has about the world around them. Ultimately, María and her father must return to Spain, and María and Casilda's friendship will sadly never go back to what it was, each of them traveling their own separate paths. While María's resentful attitude toward Bolivia is portrayed realistically and allows readers to see how much she grows throughout the story, some of her thoughts and commentary are indeed extremely offensive. At times, Casilda's thoughts are included along with María's and help readers to see her point of view. Color illustrations accompany the text and provide an additional window into Casilda's world. The poverty described and the comparison between María's world and Casilda's, along with insightful commentary included throughout the story, such as "las cosas nunca siguen siendo como antes" and "a lo mejor llevaban toda la vida esperando," add a level of depth that is sure to make readers pause to consider their own lives.