About this item
Highlights
- In 1930s San Antonio, thirteen-year-old Petra dreams of going to college and becoming a writer.
- 10-11 Years
- 7.8" x 5.6" Hardcover
- 256 Pages
- Juvenile Fiction, Historical
Description
About the Book
In 1930s San Antonio, after her father's death, thirteen-year-old Petra must quit school to work at a pecan shelling factory where dangerous conditions and low wages push her to take a vital stand for change.Book Synopsis
In 1930s San Antonio, thirteen-year-old Petra dreams of going to college and becoming a writer.
But with her beloved father dead, two younger siblings to care for, and with a stepmother struggling to make ends meet, Petra has to drop out of school to shell pecans at a factory. Hoping it's only temporary, she tries not to despair over the grueling work conditions. But after the unhealthy environment leads to tragedy and workers' already low wages are cut, Petra knows things need to change. She and her coworkers go on strike for higher wages and safer conditions, risking everything they have for the hope of a better future.
"Heart-warming and enraging in equal parts, this important American story reveals the power of family, community, and hope."--Laurie Halse Anderson, New York Times-bestselling author
Review Quotes
"A powerful, moving story explores the little-known but important story of the six-week pecan shellers' strike."--starred, Booklist
-- (1/21/2025 12:00:00 AM)"Using short chapters with quick pacing, Ruiz-Flores (Piece by Piece) unveils intimate and well-researched depictions of the Pecan Shellers Strike of 1938 and its impact on Mexican descendants and beyond."--starred, Publishers Weekly
-- (1/21/2025 12:00:00 AM)"The story deftly explores the nuances of both Petra's and Amá's relationship and traumas, as well as the strength and hope to be found in family and community. A poignantly, beautifully written tale."--starred, Kirkus Reviews
-- (12/23/2024 12:00:00 AM)"Lupe Ruiz-Flores cracks open a time capsule revealing a daunting period in San Antonio's history and delicate layers of her main character--a young girl who stands to lose everything as she ignites a monumental protest for change."--Crystal Allen, author of Between Two Brothers
-- (6/1/2024 12:00:00 AM)"Ruiz-Flores brings 1930s San Antonio and Petra's coming-of-age journey to life. What results is a story about resourcefulness, resilience, and love."--Diana López, author of Los Monstruos: Rooster and the Dancing Diablo
-- (6/1/2024 12:00:00 AM)