Thank you to NetGalley for an e-ARC of Cuba in My Pocket by Adrianna Cuevas.A first-generation Cuban-American author, Adrianna Cuevas writes a believable and authentic account of a Cuban boy coming to America alone. Cumba is a refugee fleeing Cuba ahead of his parents. He leaves behind his country, his language, and his friends for safety and freedom. Cuevas shows Cumba's frustrations with language by not always translating from Spanish to English, giving the reader a deeper understanding of the difficulties of being in a new country. Cuba in My Pocket is a historical fiction about a topic most middle-grade readers lack knowledge of presented in a way that is easy to follow.

I would definitely recommend this book to my students, especially my reluctant readers, as this story is engaging, easy to understand, but at the same time does not water down the significance of this era in history that is likely not heavily studied in their history classes. Many students today who are immigrants or refugees may find they relate to the main character, so that representation in this book makes it perfect for a classroom. This book would pair nicely with a cross-curricular unit about the Bay of Pigs Invasion if studied in a social studies class.

Excellent fictionalized account of when children were being sent to the United States after Fidel's take over of Cuba. Cumba, age 12, escapes to Miami with the help of his family and other community members to avoid going into the military. Told from Comba's POV, his fears, sorrows, his lonleiness and good times.

This is a really beautiful historical fiction novel. It would pair well with Letters from Cuba by Ruth Behar as a way to discuss multiple generations of refugees coming to and leaving Cuba through history.

Cumba's immigrant story is full of memorable characters and events. On the island of Cuba Castro is taking control. Life is forever changed for Cumba and his family. Drawing on her grandparent's experiences, Cuevas makes this part of history accessible to young readers. I laughed, cried, and kept turning the pages enjoying every moment. Readers will be captivated.

I ADORED this book. It had me feeling ALL the feels from page one. I can't recommend this book enough - especially to middle school teachers. I plan on adding it to my Historical Fiction unit next year, for sure!

Beautiful historical fiction YA work about a young Cuban who is sent to America in hopes of saving him from growing up in Castro's Cuba. The story itself is compelling, touching, and ultimately bittersweet. According to the end notes the story is partially based on the author's father's experiences as a young boy living first in Cuba and then in America following Castro's revolution.

Twelve year old Cumba’s family wants to send him away so that Fidel’s soldiers don’t take him away for military training. After a lot of secrecy and planning, his family is able to send him to Miami by himself. He stays with a foster family and has to learn English and many new ways while going to school. You can feel his fear and uncertainty as he navigates through his daily routine. Then he is moved again to another family each time hoping his own family is able to come to Miami. Based on the author’s family history.

This is a very cute book. It's a historical fiction that is based on the authors family. Great read for any preteen and adults. Could be a great read aloud also.

Cuba in My Pocket by Adrianna Cuevas is very relevant today. Lots of news has been written about the plight of immigrant children arriving alone to live in the United States. This issue is not a recent one, as Ms. Cuevas points out in her novel.
The story follows a young Cuban boy named Cumba, whose parents send him alone to the United States shortly after the Bay of Pigs incident to avoid Fidel Castro’s policy of enlisting fourteen year olds into the military, a policy used today in El Salvador and other countries. Cumba speaks no English and little to no support was provided to him in Spanish even at school.
This novel is told from Cumba’s point of view. It accurately describes his emotions of loneliness and yearning for his family. Cumba fears for his parents after witnessing the brutality of soldiers in Cuba while trying to learn how to live in Florida. The straight forward, simple sentences are realistic and help the reader “step into his shoes” so that his experiences are even more relatable.
I appreciate the use of Spanish words within a context that helps the reader understand them. There is also a glossary at the end of the novel to provide additional support.
Cuba in My Pocket is a quick and engrossing read. All readers should find it interesting. For that reason, I think it will help students to understand and sympathize with the plight of immigrant children today. This book could be used in classrooms for discussion and reading responses. For that reason, I would recommend it highly.

Cuba in My Pocket is the story of a boy who is going on a journey to escape Cuba. Cumba lives in Cuba, and his family does not want him within Fidel Castro's grasp. They decide to send him to America on his own until they are able to join him. While there, Cumba gets shuffled from one home to the next. Not only does he have to get used to a new culture, he terribly misses his family. Cumba was a character that anyone could relate to and empathize with. I appreciated hearing about the perspective some children/families had to endure, and I enjoyed learning more about this time period.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Based on the author's father's experiences leaving Cuba in 1961 after the Bay of Pigs uprising, we follow fictional 12-year-old Cumba as his family sends him on his own to the United States in order to protect him from being pressed into Fidel's army. The confusion, heartache and longing for anything familiar from his home language to the food to the classroom permeates Cumba's story. Although based on events 60 years ago, Cumba's story is still relevant today. Starting over in a country that doesn't want you, missing family and friends and believing that you must always do your best as a representative of your country puts a lot of pressure on a young child. The authenticity of Cumba's voice shines through and we can't help but wish for a happy ending to his story.

“Your heart will always be in Cuba.”
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After The Bay of Pigs has Castro in power in 1961, Cumba’s family decides to send him to America so that he won’t be pulled into being a Young Rebel. But life in America is just as scary and foreign as Cumba thought. He struggles with the language, the school and his new found freedom away from his family that he’s so desperately trying to remember each day. How long until he can see his family again? 90 miles has never seemed so far away.
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Even though this MG book took place in a time I wasn’t alive, I could feel Cumba’s fear and his family’s oppression as if it was happening now. This story is one full of hope, as we root for Cumba’s success throughout the novel. I loved the mix of Spanish that’s present in the book So many students will love @adriannacuevas second novel as much as they loved her first one: The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez. Thank you Netgalley for an ARC Grab a copy for yourself and your library on September 21!

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this arc. I really enjoyed this historical middle grade story about Cumba who lives in Cuba but leaves his family behind to move to the Untied States. Life in Cuba is scary and is controlled by Fidel. When Cumba enters the Untied States he has a lot to learn.

I love the characters in the story especially Cumba our protagonist. He never once gave up and learns English.

I highly recommend this book because some students will see themselves in this book. As teachers we have students that don’t speak English because they migrated from another country and it is hard for them to learn and communicate with peers. Cumba never gave up he took advantage of every opportunity to learn English and was always willing to learn. The Untied States of America is the land of freedom!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for free in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! I love any sort of middle grade novel that has historical aspects, and Cuba in My Pocket was no disappointment. Cumba was relatable, even to someone like me who has never had to leave my home in search of safety. Highly recommend you pick this one up soon!

The book had my heart from the very beginning and took me on an incredible journey. Loved Cumba’s raw story of loss, resilience and love. Definitely recommend!!!

Thank you Netgalley for the e-arc!

This book is fantastic. It tells the story of a young boy living in Cuba shortly after Fidel came to power. He is noticing with his friends all the ways his country has changed. He wants to hang out with friends and have fun but is always worried about the military that are everywhere in town. When his family realizes he is going to be sent away to be in the young military program they send him to America instead and hope that they can join him later. He arrives in America with little English and lives with someone he has never met. Throughout the story he navigates his identity as a Cuban, son, foster child, friends and more. It is a really powerful and heartfelt story that introduces readers to a bit of Cuban history and also contains a universal story of identity and coming of age.

"Cuba in My Pocket" by Adrianna Cuevas
Release Date: 9.21.2021


Cumba is sent to Miami alone Fidel Castro comes to power in 1961, so he isn't forced to serve in the Cuban military.. He's 12 years old, doesn't speak English, and has no idea what he will do. He's navigating all these new experiences without his family.

I didn't know much about this time period, and learning about it through Cumba's eyes was definitely humbling. Although taking place in 1961, I feel that many students can relate to Cumba's experiences in moving to the United States. The stories shared in this book are actually from the author's father, who moved to the U.S. at age 15. I'm looking forward to a sequel!

Thank you to @NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

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** This will not come out until August, 2021
Publication Date: September 21, 2021
From the Publisher:

By the author of 2021 Pura Belpré Honor Book The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez, a sweeping, emotional middle grade historical novel about a twelve-year-old boy who leaves his family in Cuba to immigrate to the U.S. by himself, based on the author's family history.


“I don’t remember. Tell me everything, Pepito. Tell me about Cuba.”
When the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961 solidifies Castro’s power in Cuba, twelve-year-old Cumba’s family makes the difficult decision to send him to Florida alone. Faced with the prospect of living in another country by himself, Cumba tries to remember the sound of his father’s clarinet, the smell of his mother’s lavender perfume.
Life in the United States presents a whole new set of challenges. Lost in a sea of English speakers, Cumba has to navigate a new city, a new school, and new freedom all on his own. With each day, Cumba feels more confident in his new surroundings, but he continues to wonder: Will his family ever be whole again? Or will they remain just out of reach, ninety miles across the sea?

My Thoughts:
This post will not be published until August, 2021, but know that I finished the book in the early morning hours of the last day of February as the rain and wind swirl in my valley, on another island two oceans away from both Cuba and Florida. As someone born and raised on an island that was once its own kingdom and nation before the overthrow by the "Yankees," I have had a long fascination with Cuba as a tale of parallel realities. In 1959, as a way to further colonize Hawaii under the thumb of the Big Five Sugar Plantations, and as a way to firmly secure America's military might in the Pacific, without any other viable alternative, the citizens of the US Territory of Hawaii became the 50th and last state of what we now know as the United States of America. A few years later, the Bay of Pigs invasion in Cuba (covertly supported by American dollars) was a major failure of American foreign policy and it severed the relationship between US and Cuba until 2015.
This historical fiction starts in 1961 when 12-year old Cumba, the son of a lawyer father and a dentist mother is sent to America alone in order to save him from being forced to join Fidel's Young Rebels. Although this is based on the author's father's story of being sent to the US alone to live with strangers, this is also about the story of thousands of Cuban children who fled the oppression of Cuba to forge new lives in a foreign country. Perhaps the saddest sentiment in the book is Cumba's hope for an open Cuba where he can return to his grandparents and he can be back home in his beloved village. Knowing that Castro held on to power for 50 years until his retirement, as the reader, I know this boy will never see his grandparents again. It is too much knowledge to have over this young narrator.

So how accurate is this particular story? Cuevas honors his father's story and memorializes this memory for future generations. Although Cuevas' father was older when he first came (15), I like that he made Cumba younger because it places him in middle school where both magic and trauma can take place in the same space. The power of allies in America for these children is very poignant. I cannot help but think about the immigrant children over these past four years who have been separated from their families under American immigration policy. I wonder if these grown up Cuban immigrants and interned Japanese Americans have been able to be allies for these children. I also remember other historical times when families, out of desperation and hope have sent their children away to save them. One that comes to mind immediately is Lois Lowrey's Number the Stars. Their stories live on in our conscience through YA authors who continue to share these tales of hope and triumph.

I really wanted this own voices novel to be good, but I just did not connect to the main character, Cumba. There wasn't enough character development for me. But it did make really good use of Spanish throughout.