"Sarah’s story is a beautiful representation of one young Mexican American girl’s journey to claim her identity. This important book spotlights a community using the arts to break down social borders." — School Library Journal
"Empathetic and inspiring account of the imagination, triumphs, and worries of a child of immigrants. A tender, inspiring, and courageous true story." — Kirkus Reviews
"Sara shares how her experiences and performances have given her the confidence to get past her shyness and speak up about issues important to her community, such as immigration and deportations." — Booklist
"In her own, big hearted voice, Sarah tells a story filled with strength, hope and love. The Quixote Kids are creating a new world with the power of books, music, theatre and family. Their motto: Everyone listens to Everyone. As soon as I finished reading...I wanted to start reading it all over again." — Rebecca Chase, author of June Sparrow and The Million Dollar Penny
"Sara shares how her experiences and performances have given her the confidence to get past her shyness and speak up about issues important to her community, such as immigration and deportations."
"In her own, big hearted voice, Sarah tells a story filled with strength, hope and love. The Quixote Kids are creating a new world with the power of books, music, theatre and family. Their motto: Everyone listens to Everyone. As soon as I finished reading...I wanted to start reading it all over again."
"Sara shares how her experiences and performances have given her the confidence to get past her shyness and speak up about issues important to her community, such as immigration and deportations."
03/01/2020
Gr 3–6—Ten-year-old Sarah Sierra's bilingual chapter book discusses her experience as a Mexican American girl living in Brooklyn. Published to accompany the play The Traveling Serialized Adventures of Kid Quixote (an original adaptation of Don Quixote by the children of Brooklyn-based writing program Still Waters in a Storm), the diary-like chapters follow Sarah as she writes, rehearses, coaches her younger sister, and reflects on her immigrant family's life in America. Co-written by Sarah and the play's director, Stephen Haff, the young narrator's voice truly shines. The content is both educational and celebratory. For example, while many young people will already know about toronjil, the lemony herb that some Mexican parents prepare for their sick kids, others will be excited to learn about it and gain further insight into Sarah's world. Don Quixote, children in detention, food, space science, and other topics all fit flawlessly into the scope of this work. The language is simple yet reflective of the author's inner world: "People making good food is one of the first things I think of when I think about my family." The most powerful passages detail Sarah's thoughts and feelings during the writing process, how ideas came to her, and how proud she feels when she hears them performed on stage. VERDICT Sarah's story is a beautiful representation of one young Mexican American girl's journey to claim her identity. This important book spotlights a community using the arts to break down social borders.—Sierra Dickey, Center for New Americans, Northampton, MA
Narrator Kyla Garcia creates a buoyant voice for Sarah, a 10-year-old Brooklyn girl of Mexican heritage. However, this memoir’s many layers are challenging for both its narrator and young listeners. Sarah’s story chronicles her youth group’s production of a play based on DON QUIXOTE within the framework of her daily life in her immigrant community. Sarah plays “Kid Quixote.” Listeners are introduced to Mexican foods and holidays, the plot of Cervantes’s DON QUIXOTE, and disturbing social issues—children in ICE detention centers, the plight of farm workers, and the dangers of “coyotes” (human smugglers). Each issue needs background and context. Garcia is articulate in English and the requisite Spanish, but the amount of explanatory text that is necessary makes it difficult for her to maintain a conversational tone. L.T. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
Narrator Kyla Garcia creates a buoyant voice for Sarah, a 10-year-old Brooklyn girl of Mexican heritage. However, this memoir’s many layers are challenging for both its narrator and young listeners. Sarah’s story chronicles her youth group’s production of a play based on DON QUIXOTE within the framework of her daily life in her immigrant community. Sarah plays “Kid Quixote.” Listeners are introduced to Mexican foods and holidays, the plot of Cervantes’s DON QUIXOTE, and disturbing social issues—children in ICE detention centers, the plight of farm workers, and the dangers of “coyotes” (human smugglers). Each issue needs background and context. Garcia is articulate in English and the requisite Spanish, but the amount of explanatory text that is necessary makes it difficult for her to maintain a conversational tone. L.T. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
2020-01-12
A shy girl takes on the world through her acting.
For Sarah Sierra, a 10-year-old Mexican American girl from Brooklyn, her after-school program Still Waters in a Storm is the perfect haven. Though she considers herself a shy person, at Still Waters Sarah sings, writes, and acts along with other children and teenagers. To Sarah's surprise she is also able to easily identify with her character, Kid Quixote, as they adapt and update Miguel de Cervantes' 400-year-old novel, Don Quixote de la Mancha. The adapted play is then performed in a serialized format throughout New York and the country. Inspired by their pen pals from Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, the actors at Still Waters often include immigration in their work. For example, Sarah uses a stuffed horse as Rocinante, Quixote's faithful steed, to rescue an undocumented farm worker who hasn't been paid fair wages. In this young reader's companion to Kid Quixotes (2020) by Stephen Haff (creator and director at Still Waters), Sarah recounts, with help from Haff, her creative process and how she uses her experiences at Still Waters to decipher and overcome real-world challenges. Through this empathetic and inspiring account of the imagination, triumphs, and worries of a child of immigrants, readers will be constantly reminded of the importance of stories to the triumph over and processing of difficult experiences.
A tender, inspiring, and courageous true story. (Memoir. 7-12)
