BOOK REVIEW: Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar

Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar (#96 in 2020)⁣⁣

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Betita is a 9 year old girl who lives in East LA. She knows the extended metaphor her father told her: they’re cranes whose ancestors once lived in Aztlan, what is now known as the Southwest US. Long ago, her ancestors left Aztlan to migrate to Mexico City, but the story prophecizes that they’ll one day move back to their promised land. Betita knows in her heart that she and her family are the cranes that have finally come home. When Betita’s father is deported, she and her pregnant mother are placed in an ICE detention facility with horrible conditions. While Betita writes poetry using the techniques she learned in her American school, she wonders if her family will ever be happy again. ⁣⁣

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My first book for #latinxheritagemonth is this upcoming release, it also ties in perfectly with the #youbetya2020 September readathon with @reviewsshewrote and @natashaniezgoda ... and it’s PHENOMENAL. Betita’s story will break the heart of anyone, especially a teacher. Betita misses school, her friends, her teacher, and freedom as she uses the skills she learned from class to write beautiful poetry for her immigration lawyer to show to the courts. Betita writes about her emotions, her broken family, the dangers of the cartel that await them back in Mexico, and the horrible conditions in which they’re forced to live during detention. Told entirely in verse, Betita’s story is full of depth but entirely approachable for both readers and non-readers, and it’s absolutely perfect for a middle school classroom. I’ll be working this book in as a read aloud in class this year!⁣⁣

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Thank you to @scholasticinc and @aida_writes for my gifted copy ❤️⁣⁣

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🍦I was away this weekend and totally forgot what day it was, so I missed my Friday #scoopsofbooks post for @cozytrishreads ... so here we go! This ice cream trip might not be part of the tour of NJ, but it was a delicious spot in Nantucket called @nantucketjuicebar - this is their mint chip flavor 😋