Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that Naomi's mother is a mean, abusive alcoholic who abandons her children for seven years, then wants custody of Naomi so she can get government support and free babysitting for her boyfriend's daughter, but has no interest in her son because he is mildly handicapped.
Families who read this book could discuss the dilemma Naomi and her grandmother find themselves in. How would Owen feel when his mean mother doesn't want him? Why would judges tend to favor mothers, even when they abandon their children? Why does Naomi find it so hard to speak up? They may also want to know more about Oaxaca and its festivals. See Related Web sites below for more info.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Matt Berman
Naomi, Owen, and Gram are appealing characters. Naomi worries, keeps lists of things that interest her, and hangs out in the school library with other social outcasts and the eccentric librarian. Owen is relentlessly optimistic and cheerful, and his rather lopsided appearance masks intelligence and a good heart. Gram works hard and believes in the power of positive thinking, and she has managed to make their meager existence seem rich and cozy.
The only character who doesn't ring true is the children's mother, Skyla, who seems to have no redeeming qualities at all. She is maliciously selfish, scheming, devious, alcoholic, abusive, and just plain mean, and shows not the slightest sign of affection for anyone, much less her children or her grandmother. While this certainly enhances the reader's sympathy for already sympathetic characters, it does make her a rather cardboard villain, and lessens the complexity of the situation.
But the author makes up for this with the richness of the scenes in Mexico, which spring to vivid life after the pale California scenes. They seem to be shot through a warmer filter, and will make readers long for a trip to Mexico themselves. At least they can see the Posadas and The Night of the Radishes, two festivals portrayed in the story. See Related Web sites below.
From The Book
I always thought the biggest problem in my life was my name, Naomi Soledad León Outlaw, but little did I know that it was the least of my troubles, or that someday I would live up to it.
Plot Summary:
Naomi and her little brother, Owen, live with their great-grandmother in a trailer park. Their mother left them years ago and hasn't been heard from since. Naomi has selective mutism as a result of the traumas she endured with her mother, and Owen has birth defects. But despite these troubles, Gram has created for them a relatively secure, happy life.
Then their mother reappears, a not-so-recovering alcoholic with a scary tattoo-artist boyfriend, and wants to take Naomi (but not Owen) off to Las Vegas so she can take care of the boyfriend's daughter and they can get child support from the government. So a friend hitches their trailer his pickup, and they take off for Mexico to try to find Naomi's and Owen's father, a fisherman and woodcarver whom they have never known.
Related Books:
Other Books by Pam Munoz Ryan:
Esperanza Rising
More Abandoned Kids
Journey by Patricia MacLachlan
Someone's Mother is Missing by Harry Mazer
Granny the Pag by Nina Bawden
Belle Prater's Boy by Ruth White
Sometimes I Think I Hear My Name by Avi
Strays Like Us by Richard Peck
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos
Related Web sites
Christmas in Oaxaca
Exploring Oaxaca
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ViolenceNaomi's mother slaps her hard, and threatens to hurt her and her grandmother. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoNaomi's mother is an alcoholic, and drinks while driving. |
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