A humorous, loving portrayal of Alejandro's tight-knit extended family of cotton farmers in rural South Texas. As the U.S. enters WWII and Alejandro ages into adolescence, the tone darkens a bit, but through it all, family love and common sense keeps this roost together. ( )

This book is a story that someone’s grandma or grandpa would tell them about their family. It feels "oral-tradition" like that. The style of telling and the characters are straightforward and presented by their actions and their speech. They are real even though the book is fiction. Alejandro’s sister, Virginia, and her Pedro and their correspondence - and the end of it - are heartbreaking. Thank you Hennepin County Library for putting this independent press title in your collection. I hope other readers will give it a try - they will meet people in this story that will stay with them. ( )