Small Change

Tom, while in Mexico vacationing with his family, has an encounter with a local boy which soon leads to an unusual friendship as he helps Tom to safety as the political climate of the community suddenly turns dangerous.

Grade 5-9-Sunbathing on a Mexican beach sounds fantastic as a break from the Minnesota winter, but cool-dude Tom finds himself bored, lonely, and embarrassed to be vacationing with his parents and younger sister. When shots are fired in the market where the teen and Philippa are shopping, they are rescued by a local family and taken to their distant ranchito. When three men arrive and insist that Senor Guerrero hand over the two Americans, Tom, knowing that his host is now in danger, takes off with the hope of locating his parents. Guerrero's son Ignacio follows him, and the two boys are caught by the kidnappers. There is considerable suspense and excitement, including dodging bullets and escaping from the villains. However, it's difficult to believe that Ignacio and his family would be so kind and put themselves at risk for someone who is so insensitive and disdainful of their living conditions and culture. They save the siblings' lives, and they also show Tom how warped his values are, and he comes to understand that having an easier life in the U.S. does not make him a superior person. Talbert does a great job of showing the change in Tom's character as a result of his experiences. The continuous goodness of his host family is less believable. The adventure element will help keep kids involved, even through the reflective passages that are the real meat of the book.
Carol A. Edwards, Sonoma County Library, Santa Rosa, CA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Talbert's (Heart of a Jaguar) vivid descriptions overshadow the occasional holes in this novel, making for a creative and compelling adventure story. Tom is on vacation with his family in a Mexican beach resort and hating every moment of it; he thinks it's dirty and boring. But when Tom and his younger sister, Philippa, venture alone to the marketplace, gunfire erupts between soldiers and revolutionaries. Tom and Philippa are rescued by a local boy, Ignacio, and his father. Brought to the countryside, Tom begins to realize both the beauty and the brutality of Ignacio's rural life--and to appreciate the luxuries he always took for granted back home in Minnesota. Tom's days on the farm are relayed in wonderful detail, from the scene in which he watches Ignacio's mother make tortillas to a moment when he tries to comfort a proud steer about to be slaughtered. The storytelling isn't always this rich, though. Tom's reaction to the violence he witnesses in the market, including a bloody murder, doesn't feel severe enough. A later scene, in which Ignacio's uncle kidnaps the boys, hoping to collect ransom money from Tom's parents, also rings false. Their easy escape seems impossible, as does Ignacio's father's laid-back reaction when they return to the farm badly beaten. Overall, though, readers will be absorbed by Tom's radical plunge into Mexican life and by his transformation into a compassionate person. Ages 11-14. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Talbert gives the sights, sounds, smells, and social conditions of rural and small-town Mexico immediacy in this tale of two young North Americans separated from their parents by a guerilla attack. Dragged to a resort on his parents' second honeymoon, teenage Tom can't wait to get back to Minnesota. His disdainful attitude toward things Mexican undergoes radical revision, however, after a street vendor hustles him and his little sister away from a sudden firefight to a mountain ranchito to stay with the Guerrero family. Talbert cranks up the gross-out factor, barraging Tom with such appetizing experiences as seeing a pig's head floating atop the pozole at dinner and discovering that the stream from which he just took a drink drains a cow pasture. Nevertheless, the boy bonds with the loving, welcoming Guerreros--especially after he and his new friend are seized and beaten by partisan kidnappers. The characters here are stereotypes. It's Tom's adventures that will keep readers (who aren't squeamish) turning the pages and reveal a vivid, ultimately sympathetic snapshot of a segment of Mexican life and politics. John Peters