Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez

Summary: This story is about eleven-year-olds Tyler Paquette and Mari Cruz. These two individuals have led completely different lives up til now, when Tyler’s father hires Mari’s father and uncles as help on their family farm. Tyler is at first resistant to this girl as she seemingly invades his life, even being in the same class as him! However, him and Mari begin to see eye-to-eye and Tyler comes to her family’s rescue in a time of need.

Review: I found this book to be very intriguing and a quick read. I had to read it for a class assignment, so I picked it up begrudgingly as many college students do. However, after giving it a chance, I found that I really enjoyed the book. The story is told in alternating viewpoints between Tyler and Mari and that basically had me sold then and there. I love stories with alternating viewpoints. They’re my thing. Anyways, I felt captivated by the characters and their daily lives. While never having been to a farm, let alone worked on a farm, I felt I could still imagine myself immersed in the characters’ lives. (Also, I became even more enamored with the story after discovering it was set in Vermont — such a beautiful place!) I became especially interested with the main conflict Mari goes through (illegal immigration), as it is one so prevalent in today’s society and is such a hot button issue. It was even more interesting to read about as Alvarez presented two different viewpoints of the whole situation — one of an outsider (Tyler) and one of someone who was actually going through it (Mari). I found this book would be a perfect way to bring that discussion to the classroom in a wholesome, unbiased manner. All in all, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is not afraid of bringing these “hot topics” into the classroom. Even if you don’t feel the need to discuss it with your students, it is still a great read! 4/5

Recommended reader: Anyone who likes:

• Heartwarming stories about friendship
• Multicultural characters
• Dynamic characters
• Comedic elderly characters
• Hot button issues
• Hispanic culture
• Alternating viewpoints
• Realistic fiction

Ideas for classroom:

• Have the students conduct a research project about migrant workers. Determine what actions are taken against these individuals, as well as what actions are performed for these individuals and their benefit.
• Have the students research and present to the class information about a Spanish holiday. Tie it into the Cruz’s celebration of Dia de los Muertos.
• Ask students to write a persuasive essay about migrant workers with information from text. They can choose their own stance on the issue, but must represent it wholly with facts and valid information. These letters can be sent to state Congressmen and can be a great service learning activity.
• Ask the students to pretend they are the President of the United States and to respond to Mari’s letter to him. Make sure their response covers the points that Mari’s letter brings up and addresses them sufficiently.

Specifics of the book:

• Genre: Realistic Fiction
• Grade Level Equivalent: 5.7
• Lexile Score: 890L
• DRA: 50
• Accelerated Reader Level: 5.5 (11 pts)
• Content Level: 5th grade
• Pages: 318
• Controversial Issues: None