Return to Sender - A Story of Hope

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Alvarez, Julia. 2009. Return to Sender. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 978-0-375-85838-3

PLOT SUMMARY

11 year old Tyler Paquette and his family live on a farm in Vermont that has been in their family for generations.  Since his father's tractor accident, however, they are struggling to keep the farm going.  Rather than sell the farm, his father decides to hire some workers from Mexico.  The three brothers he hires live in a trailer behind the Paquettes' house, along with one of the men's three daughters.  

The eldest daughter, Mari, is the same age as Tyler.  They develop a tentative friendship based upon their mutual interest in star gazing.  Tyler, however, struggles with the fact that his new friend and her family are in the country illegally.  How can he be friends with someone who is breaking the law?

Mari and her family are in constant fear that they will be picked up by la migra and deported back to Mexico.  They also worry about their mother, who they haven't seen or heard from in months.  Will she be able to find her family now that they've moved to Vermont?  Is she even still alive?

Return to Sender is a powerful and relevant story that examines the line between right and wrong.  It is also a tale of friendship and family.  As Alvarez so eloquently put it, "Friendship knows no borders."

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Julia Alvarez's story offers an honest look into a timely issue in our country.  The novel is told in alternating points of view.  Tyler's story is told through a narrative, and Mari's story is told through personal letters she has written to various members of her family.  While born in two seemingly different worlds, Tyler and Mari come to discover that they actually have a lot in common.  The idea that "friendship knows no borders" will resonate with young readers and hopefully inspire them to get to know someone who may seem different than they are.  

This story, while a work of fiction, is culturally authentic in every way.  The situations it describes are real.  Like the Cruz family, farmers from Mexico who can no longer survive farming in their own country are forced to come north into the U.S. to find work and provide for their families.  The title of the novel, Return to Sender, was the name of an actual operation in 2006, where many workplaces were raided and anyone found working in the country without the proper paperwork was taken away on the spot.  Alvarez has seamlessly interwoven many Mexican traditions, holidays, foods, and the Spanish language into the novel.  The plight of the three girls, especially Ofie and Luby who were born in America, is something the children of migrant Mexican workers must face.  The ruthless coyotes Alvarez describes do exist, and the methods described for how to transport the immigrants across the border are authentic.

This novel takes a relevant issue in our country and brings it to life.  It gives a face to the nameless illegal immigrants that are discussed on the news.  Most importantly, it takes an honest look at the children of the Mexican immigrants and how they are affected by this.  While there are a plethora of people in this novel who would love to send the Mexicans back to Mexico, there are also characters who recognize the Cruz family for the wonderful people they are and would go to any length to help them.  Alvarez sheds light on the fact that this issue is not so black and white.  There are many shades of gray, and doing the right thing as a fellow human being may not necessarily align with what the law dictates.

Return to Sender is an important novel that every middle grade student should read.  

REVIEW EXCERPTS

2010 Pura Belpré Author Award

2010 Americas Award for Children and Young Adult's Literature

Oprah's 2010 Kids' Reading List

From SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL - "This timely novel, torn right from the newspaper headlines, conveys a positive message of cooperation and understanding."

From BOOKLIST - "The plot is purposive, with messages about the historical connections between migrant workers today and the Indians’ displacement, the Underground Railroad, and earlier immigrants seeking refuge. But the young people’s voices make for a fast read; the characters, including the adults, are drawn with real complexity; and the questions raised about the meaning of patriotism will spark debate."

From PUBLISHERS WEEKLY - "While this novel is certainly issue-driven, Alvarez (Before We Were Free ) focuses on her main characters, mixing in Mexican customs and the touching letters that Mari writes to her mother, grandmother and even the U.S. president. Readers get a strong sense of Tyler’s growing maturity, too, as he navigates complicated moral choices."

CONNECTIONS

Julia Alvarez is a prolific author of Hispanic literature for young people.  If your students would like to read more of her books, send them to this link to find a list of titles and descriptions.

To listen to Julia Alvarez discuss Return to Sender, click this link.

Julia Alvarez has shared on her website some highlights of the research she did on migrant workers while writing this novel.  To learn more, click this link.

Share Mari's favorite song, "La Golondrina", with your students.

Mr. Bicknell asks his students to write a love story, any kind of love, that had happened to them that past year.  Have your students take on this writing assignment.  If they feel comfortable, have them share their writing with the class.