In this sequel to Evangelina Takes Flight, the young girl who left her home during the Mexican Revolution to start over in a small Texas border town is now seventeen. She has had several years of medical training with her mentor, Doc Taylor, but when a doctor from a neighboring town finds her helping an Anglo woman in labor, he is enraged. He calls her a dirty Mexican and kicks her out. The next day, Evangelina is arrested for murder.
The racist sheriff and many of the townspeople believe Mexicans are inferior and that Evangelina must be guilty of using witchcraft to kill the pregnant woman. But she isn’t all alone. Doc Taylor believes in her innocence, as does Cora Cavanaugh, the spirited daughter of a wealthy businessman. And there’s Selim Njaim, a young Muslim with whom she has a forbidden relationship. Soon La Liga Protectora Mexicana assigns someone to represent her, but will Joaquín Castañeda be able to convince the jury that Evangelina is not a murderer?
Set in Texas in 1915, this eye-opening historical novel for young adults reveals the racial inequity in the justice system, the discrimination experienced by Mexicans and other non-whites and the limitations placed on women. Teens will relate to the theme of finding confidence and bravery in times of uncertainty, while learning about the harassment, torture and killing of innocent Mexicans and Tejanos in the early part of the twentieth century.
Named to the Pima County Public Library’s Southwest/Borderlands Historical Fiction Recommended List
Named to the 2023 Southwest Books of the Year
Diana J. Noble named to the Texas Library Association’s The Spirit of Texas Reading Program for Middle Schools
“VERDICT: Set against the backdrop of 1915 Texas, this novel shows harsh realities faced by immigrants who endured racism and injustice, in both the legal system and the everyday, and the battle Evangelina undertakes to find justice.”—School Library Journal
“Though fictionalized, the novel is grounded in true historical events which saw Mexican refugees and American-born Tejanos facing sham trials, vigilantes, and violent policing without due process. This novel presents a story that is as relevant to and important for contemporary readers as it was in the early 20th century.”—Kirkus Reviews
“This splendid example of the use of the historical novel to recover the Mexican American past represents another addition to the increasing number of writings exemplifying how Mexican American history may be recaptured through fiction. While the novel makes for fascinating reading, it serves as an alert to us of the twenty-first century that the world of Evangelina de León may be resurrected if current white supremacy ideology should somehow be re-established.”—Arnoldo De León, Distinguished Professor of History Emeritus, Angelo State University
Praise for Evangelina Takes Flight:
“Written in Evangelina’s conscientious voice and containing parallels to some of today’s current events, this hopeful, yet sometimes heartbreaking, novel is a fast and important read.”—Booklist
“Using the first person with Spanish sprinkled throughout, Noble propels the novel with vivid imagery and lovely prose, successfully guiding readers behind an immigrant family’s lens. Loosely based on Noble’s own grandmother’s story, this debut hits awfully close to home in the current anti-immigrant political climate.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Honest in its exploration of xenophobia, and timely in its empathetic portrayal of a refugee family, Evangelina Takes Flight is a vibrant and appealing historical novel.”—Foreword Reviews
“Noble’s poetic yet accessible prose allows the reader to slip into Evangelina’s world and understand that problems can be overcome with perseverance and bravery.”—Latinxs in Kid Lit
DIANA J. NOBLE is the author of Evangelina Takes Flight (Piñata Books, 2017), which was named a Junior Library Guild Selection and won the 2018 Tejas Foco YA Fiction Award, the 2017 June Franklin Naylor Award and a 2018 Skipping Stones Honor Award. She lives in Washington state.
ATOS Interest Level: Middle Grades
Category: Young Adult
LEXILE: 790L