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School Library Journal
Reviewed on October 1, 2017 | Middle School
Gr 5–8—Lora Díaz Llera, 13, lives with her family in Havana, Cuba. In 1961, Fidel Castro creates the Campaña Nacional de Alfabetización en Cuba, a governmental initiative designed to abolish illiteracy in the country. Lora, having been taught to help others, wants to volunteer for Premier Castro's literacy brigadistas, who are tasked with going out into the countryside to teach others how to read and write. Despite her family being reluctant for her to take part in t...Log In or Sign Up to Read More
Horn Book Magazine
Reviewed on October 1, 2017
It is 1961 in Havana, Cuba. Despite her parents' misgivings, thirteen-year-old Lora becomes a member of the Conrado Benítez Brigade. She, along with thousands of other young brigadistas, travels hours away to live with poor mountain farmers and become teachers in order to fulfill Fidel Castro's vow that the country become one hundred percent literate in one year. In this idealistic and informative coming-of-age novel, readers experience alongside Lora her triumphs and challenges as she exchanges her sheltered city life for the exp...Log In or Sign Up to Read More
