Different: A Story of the Spanish Civil War (Stories from Latin America (SLA))

A resonant, captivating book about a brother and sister caught in a dark chapter of world history.\nBetween 1936 and 1939, a civil war raged across Spain. For almost three years, ordinary citizens lived in fear of bombs dropping from the sky. When fascist dictator Francisco Franco declared victory, he began to persecute everyone who had once opposed him. Spain became a country of secrets, where anyone who was different was in danger.\nDifferent explores this turbulent period through the voices of seven-year-old Socorro and nine-year-old Paco. Because Papa has fled Spain due to his political beliefs, the siblings and their mother must hide the truth in order to survive. Paco is always hungry, and Socorro is never good enough for her teachers at school. But they can’t ask for more food or better treatment: someone might find out who they are, or—worse—why their father isn’t home anymore. At last a letter from Father arrives, with a chance for their family to reunite in Venezuela …\nDramatic oil-pastel illustrations and poignantly chosen words express the emotions of two children coming of age in a time of extremism and fear. Based on the author’s family history, this middle grade story is a stirring depiction of the Spanish Civil War, its tragic aftermath, and the timeless struggle for freedom from political violence.\nFrom School Library Journal\nGr 4-6-In alternating first-person sections, siblings Paco and Socorro render the homefront events and touchstone moments of the Spanish Civil War. Their father is a Republican who has fled Spain, and both children are aware of the politics and the impact on their family; Socorro sings the propaganda songs of the Falange party to convince her mother to take her out of one school, and in another, Paco lies to his French teacher about his papa's work. Paco is always famished and burdened by his new role as man of the family, and Socorro is never hungry, in deep grief over what her family and the world is facing. Eight years later, the family joins their father in Venezuela and begins a new life. Luminous illustrations make wartime events appear like well-choreographed ballet, in soft colors, with iridescent linework creating domestic tableaux. Fully one-third of the book is given over to the publisher's note, end notes, glossary, and further reading; young readers will need to acquaint themselves with the details of the Spanish Civil War before entering the fictions of this tale. While compelling and poetically told, the work exists as two sections: the plight of the siblings, where readers don't know much more than the children do, and the daunting historical back matter. VERDICT This solid, well-rounded work on an important era in Spain's history will need some book-talking, but it admirably invites readers into an ordinary household to show the how small and large events take a toll on the lives of children.-Kimberly Olson Fakihα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.