In this moving coming-of-age novel set in rural New Mexico, the young protagonist, Flavio, is torn between the seductiveness of progress and new technology and his loyalty to village traditions so steadfastly preserved by his grandfather, El Grande.
Honor Book, 1998 Pura Belpré Award
Commended Title, 1997 Américas Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature
Included in the 1999-2000 Houston Area Independent School Library Network Recommended Reading List
“Although the sense of place is vivid on every page, the story is one that could be told about almost any part of rural America—the blessing and the curse of being opened to the world with the coming of electrification, roads and industry.”—Houston Chronicle
A native of New Mexico, FLOYD MARTINEZ has spent most of his career as a psychologist in mental health administration. He has worked at every level of government and has written extensively in his professional areas of interest. He is nationally known for his work in mental health and drug abuse. He has also had a life-long interest in fiction and has written various short stories. The award-winning novel Spirits of the High Mesa (Piñata Books, 1997) is his first published novel.
ATOS Interest Level: Middle Grades
Category: Young Adult
ATOS English: 5.1
LEXILE: 740L
Accelerated Reader Quiz #: 35010
