A large majority of my students (about 99%) are from economically disadvantaged households, and many do not have ANY books at home. I believe it's important to expose kids to great stories to learn from - to both learn to read and to learn to be a compassionate human being. I have seen acts of bravery in my students - from standing up for a special needs student being picked on to resisting the lure of gang life in a tough community. I want to provide good examples of character and acts of bravery from early on in middle school to encourage these types of courageous actions in these wonderful young people.

"Summer of the Mariposas" is a Mexican-American retelling of the "Odyssey". After five young sisters find a dead body in their swimming hole, they decide to return the man's body to his family in Mexico. Getting back to Texas after completing their good deed proves to be an epic tale that challenges their minds, bodies, and souls, and along the way, they each learn important lessons about sisterhood and maternal love.

Teachers I have spoken with who have taught this book before have seen it leave a great impact on students, as they can deeply connect with the language, the young Mexican-American characters' struggles, and the deeply moving tale of young heroism and bravery.

Each copy is $13.86, so 30 copies (a class set) will cost $415.80. 

From an Amazon review by Jill:

"This book had a calming effect on me; I'm at a loss to explain it in terms other than ones of mythic symbolism. Symbols work their way into the subconscious in a way that advice manuals never quite can. This book contains the mythic symbolism of Mexico in a classic hero's journey. While it is, on the surface, the tale of five sisters who leave their mother and home in order to have an adventure, it's more deeply a soul journey."

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