Sometime in 1964, while working in the California fields, twelve-year-old Lula lost her voice. Now it is just a whispery, scraggly thing that won’t let her say the things she wants to say. In her daydreams, she has a strong, powerful voice that commands attention, like the ringmaster she saw once in a circus.

September of 1965 finds Lula’s migrant-worker family in Delano, California, picking grapes. It isn’t long before they learn that they’ve been hired, in part, to replace the Filipino workers who are on strike. Lula’s Papa and older siblings listen to Dolores Huerta, who explains why all the farm workers should strike together: Filipinos, Mexicans (Lula was born in the U.S. but her parents emigrated from Mexico), African Americans, and Okies. Lula and her siblings are convinced, but Papa won’t listen to the arguments of a woman, plus Mama is ill. How can they care for her on the little money the strikers get from the union? Will the family join the strikers? Will Lula get her voice back? Will Mama get better?

This is a novel-in-verse, with Lula narrating. Sometimes her words are lovely lyrics full of color, heat, and longing. Sometimes the verses are merely concise storytelling. Salazar finds a perfect balance. Middle-grade readers will understand Lula, her problems, and her dreams, especially those readers, like Lula, who are multilingual. Spanish words are sprinkled throughout the text. There are many books about the civil rights movements of the 1960s, but few focus on the striking farm workers in California. Salazar does a magnificent job showing the struggles of the migrant families, clearly showing that children were workers and strikers as well. This is a much-needed addition to any library.

This novel-in-verse historical fiction novel by Aida Salazar unveils a period of American history unknown to most middle grade readers in an age-appropriate and empowering way.

“The fight is never about grapes or lettuce. It is always about people.” -Cesar Chavez
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It’s 1965 and Lula Viramontes dreams of a life more than what she has, which is working as a migrant farmer for the grape harvest in California alongside her family. Things get worse when her father starts drinking more and her mother gets too sick to work, forcing the girls to work more and attend school less. When Lula meets Dolores Huerta and el Teatro Campesino she dreams of becoming a ringleader and organizer like them. They start raising their voice against the unfair work environments, pay and treatment of the farmers. Can Lula raise her voice loud enough to be heard?
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What a beautiful MG novel in verse and the perfect title to start off #latinxheritagemonth I learned a lot about Dolores Huerta, Cesar Chavez and what happened during this time in history. I recommend this to any educator, but especially those who work with a Latinx population. I’m going to tell my Emerging Bilingual teacher about this one immediately!

CW: parental abuse, alcohol, misogyny, racial slurs, poor working conditions, illness due to poison

Beautiful writing. Where this book is strongest is in its story of the Viramontes family and the many terrible trials they are put through just trying to get by. The introduction of real historical figures didn't read as true but I 100% recommend this to fans of historical fiction regardless!

A tender and poignant middle-grade novel in verse showing an important time in history, the power of collective voices against injustices, and a girl finding her strength. Lula’s family are migrant workers. When Lula’s mom gets sick from pesticides, they can only get her medical care if they join the worker strikes started by Phillipino migrant workers. Eventually, her violent dad is convinced to join the strike which transforms their family, gives the girls hope, and helps Lula’s mom get health care. A beautiful coming-of-age story.

I really enjoyed this one. I did not know a lot about the real life events included in this book, so I learned a lot. It made me very interested to learn even more about the fight for migrant workers' rights. I think the format of the book and the fact that the story was told in verse fit really well here. My only issue was that the speed at which Lula's father changed his ways and became completely accepting of his family felt unrealistic. Otherwise, however, I felt like the characters were well fleshed out and felt like real people. I would recommend this for readers that enjoy historical fiction, especially about events that may not be as well known or from different perspectives.

Another great book by Aida Salazar! This novel in verse will get the attention of readers right from the beginning! It takes place during the 1965 protests for workers rights. This book would be great for any class wanting to add in history to their reading class. Many opportunities for discussions and learning about what others have gone through to get to where they are today!

A historical fiction novel written in verse is always a welcomed read to me. An often over looked and forgotten piece of history comes to life in this emotional book. I think this would be a great classroom read or a book club read to discuss with students, especially with the additional resources in the back to reinforce learning.

I just added this book to my read aloud books for my 5th graders! This book will he a great addition to my agriculture unit on farm labor. The characters were appealing and the subject matter is very timely for the area I live in.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book.

I really wanted to like this book. It does a great job winding real and important people (Caesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta) into a story about migrant workers and labor organizations, but the story itself didn’t do much for me. It felt slow, and I think my students would feel like this was a bit of a slog to get through.

It’s 1964 and Papa wants his daughters, Luca and Concha, to work in the field like he and Rafa do instead of going to school. When Mama gets sick, the girls stop going to school to help with Mama and work in the field. Then the National Farm Workers Association leaders, Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, come they try to convince the workers to join the union. They want the workers to help fight for fair rights for farmworkers. Will Luca’s dad allow his family to join the strike so his family will have a better future?

DNF at 50%. I thought what I read of this was beautifully written. This is an important topic, but I don't think that a child would be interested in it. Plus there were a lot of words, but very little development in the plot.

An easily digestible story for middle grade readers about the workers' strike in 1960s California. Definitely recommended for kids interested in historical social movements, and especially how they're still relevant today.

This story takes place during the Farmworker's Strike of the 1960s. Lula is unable to speak, at the beginning, we aren't told why. She lives with her parents and siblings in a worker's settlement and longs to be a ringmaster in a traveling circus. Her parents and older siblings work in the fields, often in dangerous conditions. Her mother suddenly becomes ill, and Lula has to quit school to take care of her younger siblings. Then the farmworkers decide to strike, Lula meets Dolores Huerta and her life completely changes.

This book was amazing. As with Aida Salazar's other books, this one is also written in verse. I blasted through it in an afternoon! It's so incredibly written, and I was rooting for Lula the whole way through. This book is a fantastic way to introduce middle graders to Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, and the UFA. I will definitely be purchasing this book for my library!