The Border by Steve Schafer

As usual, Pato, 16, his mother and father always seem to arrive late for get togethers, and cousin Carmen's quinceañera is no different. On their way into the house to join the happy, noisy celebration, Pato notices a suspicious car parked nearby, noticeable because it is completely painted black, even the bumpers. He briefly debates with himself about saying something, after all, there are two men in the car carefully watching the house, but in the end, he decides it is probably nothing. Soon after arriving, Carmen's older brother, Arbo, Pato's cousin and best friend, head out to their favorite spot in the desert behind the house with Marcos, 17, a ace soccer player, and his sister Gladys, 15. But the celebratory noise is suddenly interrupted - not by fireworks, but by the sound of gunshots - lots of them.

Back at Arbo's house, they discover that everyone has been shot dead execution style. To make matters worse, Marcos kills one of the shooters, whose brother recognizes him and threatens to kill all four of them. Realizing they have to get away, even before they can process what has just happened, Pato remembers an older man that he and Arbo had helped once as part of a school project. Pato, Arbo, Marcos, and Gladys head out to Señor Ortiz's house on the outskirts of town.

Señor Ortiz agrees to let them stay for a while and even goes into town to see if he can hear any news about the shooting. Returning, he tells them that the shooting was done as a warning by members of a drug cartel called La Frontera who control every aspect of life in their Mexican town. The school photos of all four teens have been posted everywhere, offering a very big reward for them. The teens decide that the only thing they can do is try to cross the desert and slip over the border into the United States. But this is a trip that proves easier said than done.

The Border, though timely, is a difficult book to read. It isn't enough that these teens have just lost their families to gun violence, but they are also trying to survive on a hot, unrelenting desert which is a struggle for anyone, but even worse if you are completely unprepared the way Pato, Arbo, Marcos, and Gladys are.

The story is told completely from Pato's point of view, and I think this is a story that would have lent  itself better to multiple viewpoints. I would have like to know what is going on for the other three teens. But despite that, each person's personality comes across distinctly, and there is even some humor to be found, as well as an attraction between Pato and Gladys, giving the unbelievable horror of their stories more of a human face. 

With everything that has been going on in this country regarding the border and immigrants from Mexico, and Central America, this is a very relevant story. While this country builds walls to keep desperate people out, or puts them into cages, and deprives them of any shred of human dignity, it is easy to see why people are willing to risk everything to escape local violence and abuse. 

The Border is a book for older, mature teens, even though Pato, Arbo, and Gladys are only 15-years-old. It is a very realistic novel and there is, as I've said, violence and some mild sex, as well as profanity. But it is really an eye-opening experience for those who do decide to read it.

This book is recommended for readers age 14+

This book was an EARC received from NetGalley 

Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh

The best biographies are usually about people who should always inspire us - to be better people ourselves. to try new things, to think in new ways, to learn about and appreciate our own as well as different cultures and their cultural productions  And that is just was Duncan Tonatiuh’s book Funny Bones accomplishes for today’s young readers.

Using his own signature Mixtec style, Tonatiuh introduces them to José Guadalupe Posada.  It was Posada who created the calavera or skeleton art so prominently associated with Mexico’s El Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations every November 1st and 2nd.

But while his calaveras may be familiar, the artist who created them is not as well known.  Tonatiuh takes readers though Posada’s life and shows them the influences that formed his signature style, and the mediums that went into his later printed creations, including engraving, lithography, and especially etching. 

Lupe, as Posada was called, was born in Aguascalientes, Mexico in 1852, the sixth of eight children and the son of a baker.  He attended art school growing up, and at 18, worked in a print shop, where he learned lithography and engraving.  At that time, the Mexican people were not happy with the job the government was doing, and before long, Lupe began drawing political cartoons for the local newspaper called el Jicote, sometimes depicting the politicians as skeletons.

When politicians became angry at the cartoons, Lupe and his boss Don Trinidad decided to move to the city of León.  There, Lupe opened his own print shop, married and had a son.  But a flood destroyed his shop and Don Lupe moved his family to Mexico City.  Eventually, he opened another shop there.  In the print shop, he began published "broadsides,"intriguing stories on large brightly colored paper.  His drawing on these were so well-done and detailed, everyone was fascinated by them.

El Día de los Muertos celebrations were always a busy time in Mexico, with vendors selling everything needed from marigolds, to sugar skulls, and others items needed for their ofrendas (offerings) for their dead loved one.  Don Lupe began etching the illustrations of the literary calaveras created by fellow editors for the celebrations, which were again very popular among the people.  

Tonatiuh also includes a series of 6 illustrations, juxtaposing the living in his using his Mixtec style with Posada’s calaveras and asking the reader to think about what the illustrations are saying, teaching kids that often there is a powerful meaning behind what appears to be just a fun picture. Below are two examples of that:

This is from an original broadside illustrated by Posada. It refers to the Mexican Revolution.
Tonatiuh used it in the book, asking the question:
Was Don Lupe saying that sometimes calaveras are not a laughing matter?

Funny Bones is a wonderful, well-done biography that is accessible to today's young readers, giving them a cogent look at a powerful artist of his time, whose influence is still felt today.  Be sure to read the Author's Note in which Tonatiuh details the history of El Día de los Muertos. There is also a helpful Glossary and a Bibliography for further exploration, as well as a list of places in the US where you can see José Guadalupe Posada's work.

A detailed Educator's Guide is available for Funny Bones thanks to Vanderbilt University's Center for Latin American Studies.

This book is recommended for readers age 8+

This book was purchased for my personal library