Boy of the Border - Hardcover

Arna Bontemps was a highly regarded poet and novelist during the Harlem Renaissance. He is the author of The Story of the Negro, which was a Newbery Honor Book and received the Jane Addams Book Award. Langston Hughes was a prolific poet, novelist, short story writer, playwright, journalist, and author of children's books. He was a leading figure in the Harlem Renaissance and the author of The Best of Simple, Not Without Laughter, and The Ways of White Folks. They are the coauthors of The Pasteboard Bandit and Popo and Fifina. Antonio Castro L. is the illustrator of The Green Bird, The Gum-Chewing Rattler, and The Treasure on Gold Street. His work has been featured in museums and galleries in the United States, Mexico, Spain, and Italy. He lives in El Paso, Texas.

Grade 4–7—Longing to be as brave as his older brother, 12-year-old Miguel gets his wish when he accompanies his uncle on a trip from his Mexican village to Los Angeles to sell a herd of unbroken horses. Bandits, a fight with a gypsy boy, an unexpected swim, the birth of a colt, and a trail-concealing sandstorm are all part of Miguel's trip. The actual border-crossing is barely noticed. This resurrected 1930s manuscript reflects the early 20th-century era—a world of prosperous Mexican haciendas, cowboys and wild horses, and a Los Angeles in which Watts is a dusty suburb and automobiles are rare. An afterword details the history of the authors' efforts to write a positive junior novel about Mexicans, their unsuccessful attempts at publication (except for a condensed version in Jack and Jill in 1956), and the current publisher's discovery of the manuscript. Readers who get beyond the somewhat awkward introductory chapter will find that Miguel's adventures move briskly in self-contained third-person episodes with just enough detail to make the setting clear. Each chapter includes a carefully researched illustration. A period piece of particular interest to those who want to know more about the time and place.—Kathleen Isaacs, Children's Literature Specialist, Pasadena, MD END