Review by Booklist Review
This first installment of the Hillside Valley graphic novel series focuses on Santiago, a newcomer to a small Latin American community. Despite Santiago's parents intending to raise him bilingual, he didn't start learning Spanish until the fifth grade, and a summer with Abuela Emma seems like the perfect opportunity to improve his fluency and strengthen their bond. But Santiago faces frustration and shame as he struggles to keep up with the fluent adults around him, even sometimes wondering if he is less Colombian because Spanish is not his first language. His struggle is effectively conveyed in the artwork with partially scribbled-out speech bubbles indicating Santiago's confusion. The vibrant, realistic art captures familiar scenes of neighborhood parties, cooking with Abuela, and waking up on Sunday morning to music, and the community features a wide range of Latin American cultures, with characters coming from other countries in Central and South America. A love note to bilingual kids, this story empowers them to feel secure in their identities and the bond of family and community.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Anta (This Is Our Land) and Mendez (Lo and Behold) charm in this graphic novel series launch that follows middle schooler Santi, who is leaving New York City for the summer to visit his grandmother in idyllic upstate Hillside Valley. What's supposed to be a fun excursion is overshadowed by his insecurities with his Spanish-speaking skills: though his grandmother is Colombian, he didn't grow up speaking Spanish. And though he's been practicing, he's nervous to put what he's learned to the test. In Hillside, he befriends local kids who invite him to join their soccer team, learns about the town's Latin American community, and finds a comfortable rhythm communicating with his abuela, but various incidents challenge his limited understanding of Spanish, causing embarrassment and anxiety to rise. Soon he's acting out of character and threatening his relationship with Abuela and his new friends. Santi's thoughts and side-by-side speech bubbles translate the liberal Spanish spoken throughout. Themes of celebrating one's culture, battling insecurity, and finding self-confidence permeate this vibrantly colorful narrative, a bright start to a promising series. Ages 8--12. (Mar.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3--7--Santi is spending a month with his abuela during the summer in an effort to improve his Spanish. Abuela Emma, who speaks more Spanish than English, has high expectations for Santi to learn as much as possible in his time with her. Santi has tremendous anxiety about his Spanish and his inability to speak but understands fluently. He is lucky enough to immediately make friends with four local kids who invite him to play in a soccer tournament. When Santi realizes Abuela lives in a Latin American community where everyone speaks Spanish, he loses what little confidence he had in his language skills and turns inward rather than toward family and friends. The story's outcome is heartwarming and hopeful, opening the door for the next installment in the series. Young readers will recognize and sympathize with Santi's insecurity and frustrations, and this graphic novel might serve as a mirror for students who feel caught between cultural expectations. Mendez's artwork is engaging and expressive, especially in the essential flashback panels showing Santi's treatment by some students back home. VERDICT An enjoyable story about learning Spanish and much more, this first installment in the "Hillside Valley" series is a perfect addition graphic novel collections.--Kim Gardner
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A series opener that explores culture, language, family, and identity. Santi is nervous about leaving his home in New York City to embark on a month of Spanish immersion with his Colombian abuela in rural Hillside Valley; Santi's mom is European American, and his parents abandoned their plan to raise him to be bilingual. Although he wants to master the language, he worries constantly about embarrassing himself with his "broken Spanish" and poor accent. While wandering around Hillside Valley, Santi meets a group of Dominican, Argentinian, and Nicaraguan kids and discovers that the area has a robust Latin American community. His new friends include him in their secret soccer club, and all seems to be going well. But Santi just can't shake the feeling that he's a "big fake"--and he blames this discomfort on his limited skill with the language, which makes him feel out of place. Equally frustrating, his white classmates at home questioned his presence in a beginning Spanish class. This graphic novel is enhanced by clean, brightly colored panels that feature lots of appetizing illustrations of food. Spanish is woven throughout; speech bubbles with dotted outlines signal English translations. This sweet multigenerational story gets to the heart of the displacement that young people often feel when they begin to explore their family heritage, and Santi's intense frustration and anxiety come across vividly. An honest take on seeking acceptance and striving to fit in. (author's note, artist's note)(Graphic fiction. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
