This meme was started by Rae Longest at Powerful Women Readers. As I am a grandmother, who loves to read to her grandchildren, a mother who loved to read to and with her children, and a retired teacher librarian, this meme really attracted me.

I haven’t posted a Saturday Morning for Kids a month, but I have set a goal to try and post each week. Over the last week I listened to two middle grades books that I really enjoyed. Almost two years ago, my friend Rae at Powerful Women Readers talked about this Middle Grades Book, The Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna. She met the author, Alda P. Dobbs and even had lunch with her. The book is based on her Great Grandmother who fled Mexico during the Mexican Revolution. In September 2022, the second book was published, entitled The Other Side of the River. I recently did read/listens with both of these books and would like to share my reviews with you. If you would like to read Rae’s reviews, you can find them here: The Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna – The Other Side of the River

Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna (Petra Luna #1) by Alda P. Dobbs

Published September 14th 2021 by Sourcebooks

5 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna is the first book in the Petra Luna series. The story is set in 1913 during the Mexican Revolution. Twelve year old Petra’s mother has died and her father was taken by the soldiers to fight for the Republic. She has promised her father she will take care of her Abuelita and two siblings. When the soldiers come to their village and burn it down, Petra and her family are warned to leave before they are killed. They escape with just a few things they can carry and head north to the United States. The journey is not easy, but they make it to the Rio Grande. The border into the US has been shut and everyone is waiting for it to open, but the soldiers appear. Will the US open the border and let the refugees enter, or will they all be slaughtered.

I really enjoyed this story and learned some about the Mexican Revolution and how it affected the people of Mexico. Petra may only be twelve, but she is strong. The name Petra means rock, and that is what she is for her family. She chopped wood and sold it so they could eat, took risks for her family and even carried her siblings when they got tired, even when her own feet were bleeding and pus filled. Her sister, 6 year old Amelia and baby brother Luisito would probably not have survived without her. With danger, risks, health issues and possible massacre all playing a role in their run for the border, I was very much interested in this story from beginning to end.

The Other Side of the River (Petra Luna #2) by Alda P. Dobbs, Ana Osorio (Narrator)

Published September 6th 2022 by Sourcebooks Young Readers

4 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Other Side of the River is the second book in the Petra Luna series and picks up minutes after the first book ends. Petra and her family have made it into the U.S. and they are being settled into a refugee camp. The camp is to find families work and send them on their way, or return them to Mexico if they can’t find suitable work. Most of the contractors are looking for men and older children to employ, so Petra is in trouble. Her siblings and abuelita are not suitable for work, and noone is willing to hire a twelve year old girl who had three dependents. Once again, her resourcefulness plays in her favour and she is able to get train tickets to San Antonio. Once there, they find a place to live and she gets a job. Things are not easy, but she meets some people who want to help her and she finds a few good jobs. She learns to read and is able to take care of her family.

This is a wonderful book, but it is quite emotional. The things that Petra had to deal with were not pleasant, including the way she is treated by wealthy Mexican people. She worked hard from daybreak to sundown for a low wage, and when someone’s relative comes along, she is quickly let go and left to flounder. These refugees wanted to work, they worked hard and were taking jobs that no one else wanted. This story also shows the importance of education and how hard Petra works to become educated to get ahead. This is a great middle grade book showing how many Mexican families ended up in the U.S. and became prosperous due to hard work. Once again the audiobook was narrated by Ana Osorio who does an excellent job with this story and makes it easy to listen to.