Category: Children Publisher: Gival Press
ISBN-10: 1928589286
Pages: 114
Copyright: October 12, 2005
ISBN-13: 9781928589280
A novel geared to grades 3-6 in diary form presented bilingually (English/Spanish). Tina, the main character and diary-writer is 11 years old and of mixed heritage living in urban America.
Targeted at the middle grades, the story centers around Tina, an 11-year-old girl who lives in a multi-ethnic, middle-class city neighborhood. She is biracial and bilingual, and her friends come from a mix of cultures found in many modern urban communities. The story itself reflects the situation of the students who read it. The subject matter is current, timely and occasionally humorous, and should hold the interest of children of varying ages.
Excerpt
ENGLISH:
On this sunny Monday Tina woke up earlier than usual because there were lots of noises at home. First, her father was gargling in the bathroom, sounding like the motor of a blender. As soon as he was done with that her mother started to bang pots in the kitchen while fixing breakfast, making as much racket as the school band at rehearsal. And then, all of a sudden, her father began to sing romantic Latin ballads at the top of his voice, in the shower.
But why was Tina awake, anyway? Those were the usual morning noises at home. Then she smiled. She remembered that this morning wasn’t like all the others for her. She would have awakened anyway, even if there had been complete silence. The real reason for waking up so early was the excitement of knowing that it was the first day of her summer vacation. She had just been dreaming of it when her dad began to gargle! Now it was no longer a dream.
It was Monday and she didn't have to go to school! Could she be any happier? Yes, she could, because to top it all, the previous night Grandma Ginger had given her a very special present. Something Tina could have never expected.
ESPAÑOL
Tina se despertó más temprano que de costumbre aquel lunes. No podía dormir con todo el ruido que había en la casa. Primero, su papá hacía gárgaras en el baño y sonaba como el motor de una cortadora de hierba. En cuanto él terminó, su mamá empezó a aporrear los cacharros del desayuno haciendo más ruido que la banda de la escuela durante un ensayo. Y enseguida su padre se puso a cantar salsa bajo la ducha.
Aunque en realidad, aquellos eran los ruidos de todas las mañanas, ésta no era una mañana como otra cualquiera para Tina, y seguramente se hubiera despertado de todas maneras aunque hubiera habido silencio. Y es que sentía un extraño cosquilleo en el estómago. Un cosquilleo de puro embullo. Ese día era verdaderamente el primero de las ansiadas vacaciones de verano.
¡Era lunes, y no tenía que ir a la escuela! ¡Por fin! Y por si fuera poco, su abuela Ginger le había hecho un regalo muy especial la noche anterior. Algo que Tina nunca hubiera esperado.
A delightful bilingual children's book
In her bilingual rendering of Tina’s adventures, Bevin gives us the
“…ageless voice of girls at that wonderful age, right before adolescence, when they are powerful, curious, and believe in themselves...”
- Pilar Torres, President, Centro Familia of Silver Spring, Maryland
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