Sign in with Facebook
33rd out of 111 books
—
84 voters
The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano
One of America’s most influential Hispanics -- 'Maria' on Sesame Street -- presents a powerful novel set in New York's El Barrio in 1969
There are two secrets Evelyn Serrano is keeping from her Mami and Papo? her true feelings about growing up in her Spanish Harlem neighborhood, and her attitude about Abuela, her sassy grandmother who's come from Puerto Rico to live with th...more
There are two secrets Evelyn Serrano is keeping from her Mami and Papo? her true feelings about growing up in her Spanish Harlem neighborhood, and her attitude about Abuela, her sassy grandmother who's come from Puerto Rico to live with th...more
Hardcover, 224 pages
Published
September 1st 2012
by Scholastic Press
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
838)
Set in East Harlem, the book tells the true events surrounding the 11 day occupation of the First Spanish Methodist Church in December 1969. The Young Lords, a Puerto Rican nationalist and civil rights group tried to get the church to let them use space for a day care and breakfast program.
Amid clashes between the Young Lords and the police, Evelyn is growing up and learning about her family's history and finding her own political voice. Caught between her traditional mother and her anti-authori...more
Amid clashes between the Young Lords and the police, Evelyn is growing up and learning about her family's history and finding her own political voice. Caught between her traditional mother and her anti-authori...more
The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano explores the late 1960's; a time period in which many historic events took place; some more well known than others. I have never before heard of the Young Lords, or a protest in East Harlem known as el barrio. I'm not exactly sure what the protest was about. It seemed to be between the Young Lords and the church, but then the police came and arrested people and stood guard. This may be a limiting factor of having a 14 year old narrator. I didn't see how this 11 d...more
Evelyn's grandmother comes to visit and Evelyn gets swept up in her grandmother and mother's feud. Her grandmother was a revolutionary in Puerto Rico and her mother was frequently left behind, so there are a lot of hurt feelings. Then all three of them get swept into a demonstration by the Young Lords, a group that was trying to make things better for Puerto Rican's in the 1960s.
This book is a quick read that is packed with historical details and information. The author clearly did her research...more
This book is a quick read that is packed with historical details and information. The author clearly did her research...more
It is 1969, and fourteen-year-old Evelyn Serrano has decided to forgo her first name, Rosa, because it is such a common name in her Spanish Harlem neighborhood, filled with the languages, foods, and cultures of immigrants. Evelyn herself speaks little Spanish although she can understand it when it is spoken to her. When her grandmother temporarily moves in with Evelyn's family, she at first resents her presence and the tension that builds between her own mother and grandmother because of their p...more
In 1969, Evelyn Serrano was living with her mom and stepfather in New York's Puerto Rican neighborhood (El Barrio). She doesn't really like her neighborhood or her real name (Rosa---Evelyn is one of her middle names and what she's chosen to go by). Then her grandmother moves in and an activist group called the Young Lords begin protesting. Evelyn is fascinated by both---Abuela has these amazing stories and the Young Lords really do just want to make things better in the neighborhood. And over th...more
Draft review for BAYA
Set in East Harlem in 1969--the true events surrounding the 11 day occupation of the First Spanish Methodist Church in East Harlem in December 1969 --Young Lords--Puerto Rican nationalist group and civil rights group tried to get a local church to let them use space for a day care and breakfast program.
Amid clashes between the Young Lords and the police, Evelyn growing up and learning about her family's history and finding her own political voice. Caught between her traditio...more
Set in East Harlem in 1969--the true events surrounding the 11 day occupation of the First Spanish Methodist Church in East Harlem in December 1969 --Young Lords--Puerto Rican nationalist group and civil rights group tried to get a local church to let them use space for a day care and breakfast program.
Amid clashes between the Young Lords and the police, Evelyn growing up and learning about her family's history and finding her own political voice. Caught between her traditio...more
Apr 22, 2013
Mary Louise Sanchez
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
hispanic-authors,
historical-fiction
This story is based on true events in the author's life and make us think, "who are the people in our neighborhood" who awaken our sense of who we are and what we do?
Fourteen-year-old Evelyn Serrano of Puerto Rican descent is showing signs of taking control of her own life in 1969 when she chooses to be called Evelyn instead of Rosa; and chooses to work at a five-and-dime store, instead of her stepfather's bodega in New York City.
Now her Abuela suddenly appears in Evelyn's family life and even...more
Fourteen-year-old Evelyn Serrano of Puerto Rican descent is showing signs of taking control of her own life in 1969 when she chooses to be called Evelyn instead of Rosa; and chooses to work at a five-and-dime store, instead of her stepfather's bodega in New York City.
Now her Abuela suddenly appears in Evelyn's family life and even...more
I received this book free in a GoodReads drawing in exchange for an honest review.
It's first worth noting that this book can easily be consumed in a few hours, so a nice evening read. Sonia Manzano, better known as Maria on Sesame Street, brings to us a fictionalized account of the 1969 Young Lords uprisings in the Bronx that is not only informative (I'm not afraid to admit I'd never heard of such an event) but also very moving. Our protagonist goes through her own personal bildungsroman as the...more
It's first worth noting that this book can easily be consumed in a few hours, so a nice evening read. Sonia Manzano, better known as Maria on Sesame Street, brings to us a fictionalized account of the 1969 Young Lords uprisings in the Bronx that is not only informative (I'm not afraid to admit I'd never heard of such an event) but also very moving. Our protagonist goes through her own personal bildungsroman as the...more
Oct 08, 2012
Korri
added it
I received a copy of this book though first reads.
When Evelyn Serrano begins her tale, she rolls her eyes at her passive, long-suffering mother and doesn't care to hear about Puerto Rico. After all, it’s 1969—who cares about that old stuff? She's ashamed of her kinky hair and of her mother’s attempts to beautify the family's run down apartment. Evelyn just wants to be an average American teenager and would rather work in a five and dime than in her parents' bodega where old(er) people gather to...more
When Evelyn Serrano begins her tale, she rolls her eyes at her passive, long-suffering mother and doesn't care to hear about Puerto Rico. After all, it’s 1969—who cares about that old stuff? She's ashamed of her kinky hair and of her mother’s attempts to beautify the family's run down apartment. Evelyn just wants to be an average American teenager and would rather work in a five and dime than in her parents' bodega where old(er) people gather to...more
This is a review brought to you by two hands.
On the one hand, The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano is an incredibly engaging, thoughtful novel featuring a young girl learning about her own history.
Rosa María Evelyn del Carmen Serrano is the daughter of Puerto Ricans living in El Barrio, the Spanish Harlem neighbourhood in the 60s, at that point in time when change is coming – when the Young Lords, a Puerto Rican activist group start protesting about the living conditions in El Barrio.
The novel follo...more
On the one hand, The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano is an incredibly engaging, thoughtful novel featuring a young girl learning about her own history.
Rosa María Evelyn del Carmen Serrano is the daughter of Puerto Ricans living in El Barrio, the Spanish Harlem neighbourhood in the 60s, at that point in time when change is coming – when the Young Lords, a Puerto Rican activist group start protesting about the living conditions in El Barrio.
The novel follo...more
This book was a wonderful book with a great plot on how little things become big things and how every little bit helps, teaching kids (and adults) to stand up for what they believe in as long as it is within the parameters of the law. I read the entire book believing it was fiction. However, at the end the author writes about many of the events being real and she does cite many sources from newspapers from the 60’s-70’s that we can read ourselves for a minimal fee.
My being from an area that spea...more
My being from an area that spea...more
Blurgh. I'm on a rotten string with books.
This was boring. A totally interesting topic--Puerto Rican nationalist/ pride movement (the Young Lords) in NYC and their take over of the First Spanish Methodist Church in 1969. The main character, Evelyn, is faced with two very different examples of Puerto Rican womanhood: her radical and single-minded grandmother and her brow-beaten but attentive mother. Evelyn must find her own way.
OK, sounds like it could be good--a sort of 'One Crazy Family' in NYC...more
This was boring. A totally interesting topic--Puerto Rican nationalist/ pride movement (the Young Lords) in NYC and their take over of the First Spanish Methodist Church in 1969. The main character, Evelyn, is faced with two very different examples of Puerto Rican womanhood: her radical and single-minded grandmother and her brow-beaten but attentive mother. Evelyn must find her own way.
OK, sounds like it could be good--a sort of 'One Crazy Family' in NYC...more
I enjoyed hearing Sonia Manzano read this in person at JCLC 2012. I enjoyed reading it at home, not so much because the narrative is choppy. The chapters are too short; thus, the novel lacks rhythm. Though, the short chapters will work for tweens and reluctant readers.
Despite my criticism of the novel's flow, this book is an important and necessary addition to historical fiction novels for teens. I love that it highlights protest movements and nonviolent social change. Manzano's details about Pu...more
Despite my criticism of the novel's flow, this book is an important and necessary addition to historical fiction novels for teens. I love that it highlights protest movements and nonviolent social change. Manzano's details about Pu...more
I wish I had written my comments as soon as I had finished the book, but now it's been a few months...I have to say, I love these kind of books, so I'm not too harsh of a judge when it comes to anything multicultural. :-)
What I especially enjoyed about Revolution of Evelyn Serrano was that the author included historical events from Puerto Rico as well as the Spanish Harlem neighborhood in New York. The book centers around young Evelyn Serrano who doesn't go by her real first name (Rosa) or care...more
What I especially enjoyed about Revolution of Evelyn Serrano was that the author included historical events from Puerto Rico as well as the Spanish Harlem neighborhood in New York. The book centers around young Evelyn Serrano who doesn't go by her real first name (Rosa) or care...more
This was the first juvenile fiction book on my reading list that I chose to read for my children's lit class that I'm taking this summer. Overall, it wasn't bad. It is very well written and while it contains many dynamics such as poor living conditions, family conflicts, abandonment, and equal rights, I think that it did lack a little depth. But that also means that I would have no problems recommmending this book to a new 5th grader who enjoys historical fiction. I also think that it may appeal...more
I picked up a copy of this book in New York City at a great bookstore called La Casa Azul in El Barrio NY. The primary reason was to meet its author, Sonia Manzano, the actor who plays Maria on Sesame Street. Like most children in NY, I had grown up watching her on television. I have not read young adult fiction in some time. The book turned out to be a real treat, giving a good description of events of the time period combined with an enjoyable story. Surprisingly, the book has fostered me to l...more
A short and really interesting read that intertwines history about the revolution in Puerto Rico during the mid 1900s with the revolution among Puerto-Rican Americans in Spanish Harlem in the summer of 1960. Evelyn's world shifts when her grandmother, who she's never met, comes to stay with them. The grandmother starts dredging up the past, against Evelyn's mother's wishes, and starts teaching Evelyn about the history of her people and the role that her family members played on each side of the...more
A glimpse into life in New York's Spanish Harlem in 1969.
When a Latino activist group, the Young Lords, stages a protest and then occupies a neighborhood church for eleven days, Evelyn and her family are thrust into local politics. Evelyn's loyalties are initially divided between her mother and her grandmother, but eventually she embraces both women and her Puerto Rican heritage.
Episodes in the book are based on events from the author's life and actual news stories from the 1960's.
I would recomm...more
When a Latino activist group, the Young Lords, stages a protest and then occupies a neighborhood church for eleven days, Evelyn and her family are thrust into local politics. Evelyn's loyalties are initially divided between her mother and her grandmother, but eventually she embraces both women and her Puerto Rican heritage.
Episodes in the book are based on events from the author's life and actual news stories from the 1960's.
I would recomm...more
This book was written by Maria from Sesame Street! I know, right? I only put this together halfway through the book. But right before the reference to Sesame Street was made. So it's not like I embarrassed myself in front of the book or anything.
By reading this story, I learned something. That doesn't necessarily happen every time when you're an adult reading books for younger readers. It's exciting that youth literature now includes stories about civil rights among many different groups of peop...more
By reading this story, I learned something. That doesn't necessarily happen every time when you're an adult reading books for younger readers. It's exciting that youth literature now includes stories about civil rights among many different groups of peop...more
First of all, I have to admit that when I picked this up to review it for the district, I did not realize that the author was the woman who played Maria on Sesame Street. This automatically put the book in a different category for me because I was always a huge fan growing up. Okay, now, to the book. This is a piece of American history I knew very little about, so I enjoyed that Manzano used actual events to build her fictional narrative. There is a list of resources in the back of the book as w...more
First time author, but a familiar face-Maria on Sesame Street. She writes from the perspective of a teenage girl who is finally taking the time to appreciate her Puerto Rican heritage during the tumultuous time on the Harlem Garbage strike of the 70's. The book is important as it introduces a time and place that isnt' often talked or written about-especially in teen fiction. However, it isn't all that well done. The note at the end that speaks about Sonia's personal experience is much more poing...more
It’s 1969. Evelyn is 14 and frustrated with her old-fashioned mother. When a group of college student activists bring their passion for social change to “El Barrio” (Spanish Harlem) by pushing the piled-up garbage into the middle of the streets and setting it on fire, they succeed in getting more regular sanitation service for Evelyn’s neighborhood; but half of the residents, including Evelyn’s mother, are wary of change. Evelyn’s grandma on the other hand, throws herself into the cause, helping...more
I won this book in a giveaway and boy was I happy!
"The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano" is narrated by a fourteen year old girl -Rosa Maria Evelyn del Carmen Serrano, also known as Evelyn Serrano- who is frustrated with her family and friends. Confused with whom she is and what she stands for, Evelyn is put to the test when an activist group called the Young Lords take over a church in her East Harlem neighborhood. With the help of her Abuela (grandmother) and friends, Evelyn joins the Young Lords...more
"The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano" is narrated by a fourteen year old girl -Rosa Maria Evelyn del Carmen Serrano, also known as Evelyn Serrano- who is frustrated with her family and friends. Confused with whom she is and what she stands for, Evelyn is put to the test when an activist group called the Young Lords take over a church in her East Harlem neighborhood. With the help of her Abuela (grandmother) and friends, Evelyn joins the Young Lords...more
This is a very juvenile book about a revolution among Puerto Ricans in New York during the late 1960s. The protagonists' name is Evelyn, and she is at that stage in life where she is trying to find herself. She is torn between her Puerto Rican heritage and her adopted American identity. One day, her Abuela (grandmother) comes to stay with her and she introduces Evelyn to the world of revolutionaries. A group named the Young Lords is demanding more things for the people, such as donations and fre...more
It’s the summer of 1969 and garbage is piling up on the streets of Spanish Harlem. Evelyn, who has changed her name from Rosa, has a new job at the Five and Dime. It’s a lot better than her job in the family’s bodega. But that summer is not going to be a normal summer at all. First, Evelyn’s grandmother arrives, complete with large amounts of stylish clothes, makeup and books in Spanish. If Evelyn thought she didn’t get along with her mother, that’s doubly true of her mother and her grandmother...more
Normally, I do not read YA fiction but, of course there are exceptions. And I am very thankful, due to Book Expo & my respect for Ms. Manzano, that Evelyn's story was one of the exceptions. This is well-written, historical fiction, from the vantage point of a teenager of the Young Lords & the East Harlem Garbage Offensive of 1969. Yes, every Puerto Rican should read it but, I also believe every teen young adult should read it because Evelyn's reflections on the situation are so relevant...more
"Who can tell what is the very beginning of a storm? Not a weather storm but a storm of ideas that grows like a flame?" Asks "Rosa" Evelyn Serrano, a Puerto Rican teenager growing up in Spanish Harlem. Evelyn struggles to understand her mother and to know her grandmother, who shows up unannounced with more on her agenda than reuniting with her daughter and granddaughter. I loved the historical backdrop of Manzano's coming of age novel & agree with Paul W. Hankins that it pairs nicely with On...more
14-year-old Evelyn Serrano is old enough to take control of her own life. She no longer wants to go by her first name "Rosa", and she has a job at the 5 and Dime, so she doesn't have to help in the family's bodega anymore. But her Abuela has suddenly moved into Evelyn's room, and she is not what Evelyn expects of a grandmother. From her drawn on eyebrows to her dyed red hair, her Abuela is different -- but her outspoken, political views are intriguing and when a radical group of students called...more
On page 2, the protagonist announces, "Please -- this was 1969, and who cared about Puerto Rico in the old days anyway? Not me." Hey, thanks for the character growth arc exposition! Now I know what happens by the last chapter and I don't need to finish the book. I did follow the 50-page rule before putting it down, but even by p. 50 it was still trying way too hard. I am always happy to read middle grade books with protagonists of color, but this just didn't cut the mustard.
HELLO, it's written by MARIA. I was so prepared to love this book. Is it totally unfair to compare it to One Crazy Summer? I really love both books for opening up the issues of the Black Panthers and the Young Lords to the middle grade audience, but this seemed to come up short. It started off great, but gradually lost me. The pacing seemed off--spending a lot of time on summer, then practically jumping to winter break, and then the whole stand off at the church seemed as if it were going on for...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
May 01, 2013 06:38pm