Cecilia's Year

By Denise Gonzales Abraham and Susan Gonzales Abraham

Book Overview

Cecilia's Year is the first title in Cinco Puntos' new series, Latino YA Fiction. This lovely young adult novel follows in the classic tradition of Little House on the Prairie . Fourteen-year old Maria Cecilia Gonzales is a dreamer. She's smart, for one thing, and she loves to read. Her books carry her far away, beyond the purple and blue mountains of the farm community she lives in--to high school and then on to a job in the big city. But something stands in the way of her dreams. Cecilia is the second of six children and her oldest brother Elias doesn't like to study and isn't interested in going to high school. And, since it's the 1930s, just after the Depression, and since Cecilia and her family live in the quiet Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico, Cecilia's stern mother won't let her go to high school unless Elias goes. That would cause Elias to lose face in their tight-knit community. And anyway, Cecilia's mother thinks her daughter's highest aim should be to run a home--to cook and sew and to raise children. Elias' only ambition is to be a farmer and no amount of cajoling by Cecilia seems to change his mind. As Cecilia struggles to fulfill her goals, she experiences a deep appreciation for her family and the first tender feelings of romantic love. Susan and Denise Gonzales Abraham have woven the story of Cecilia's dreams into the months of the year, the land and the crops, and the routine life on a farm. The real Cecilia is Susan and Denise's mother. This, their first novel, is a tribute to her and to the deep roots of their family in rural New Mexico. The sisters live and work as educators in El Paso, Texas.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0938317873
• ISBN13: 9780938317876
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: Cinco Puntos Press
• Length: 210 Pages
• Weight: 0.97 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.9" x 8.4"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

Fascinating historical vignette

This story sets the reader inside the mind of 14-year-old Cecilia in a day and place most readers will find unfamiliar. The details of daily life in this rural community are told in a way that make one yearn for that simpler time. But the over-all story of a family big on love and closeness and a young girl determined to find her own way is universal. A very enjoyable book -- loved the proverbs!

Great book for young girls

"Cecilia's Year" is a great story for young girls. Cecilia is a really good role model--her goals are to graduate from high school and get a job to help her family. She loves to read. This book also exposes kids to what life was like on farms when America was a rural country. Full of traditional family values plus lots of Spanish for people who know both languages. Also has a little romance. Young girls ages 11-15 will love it. Great gift.

A young adult novel about the dreams of a Latina girl

Cecilia's Year is a young adult novel about the dreams of a Latina girl living in rural New Mexico. She dreams of traveling far beyond her farm community, to experience high school and a job in the big city she knows through books, yet her mother feels her highest goal in life should be to run a home, cook, sew, and raise children. Written as a tribute to the author's mother, Cecilia's Year explores the tribulations of growing up and determining one's own destiny, in a heartfelt manner sure to resonate with anyone striving to find their place in the world.

Moving story set ...

Moving story set in a small New Mexican farming community during the 1930's in which 14-year-old Cecilia, who's a top student and avid reader, wants to go to high school, college, and work in a city; however, her old-fashioned mother feels that she should prepare herself to run a home. (M) I loved the way the Abrahams wove Cecilia's story into the months of the year, and the sprinkling of Spanish throughout added flavor. Cecilia's family may have been poor financially, but it was rich in love.