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413th out of 1,030 books
—
1,898 voters
Red Glass
by
Laura Resau (Goodreads Author)
ONE NIGHT SOPHIE and her parents are called to a hospital where Pablo, 6-year-old Mexican boy, is recovering from dehydration. Crossing the border into Arizona with a group of Mexicans and a coyote, or guide, Pablo and his parents faced such harsh conditions that the boy is the only survivor. Pablo comes to live with Sophie, her parents, and Sophie's Aunt Dika, a refugee o...more
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published
September 11th 2007
by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
(first published February 29th 2000)
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Mar 11, 2009
Cara
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommended to Cara by:
Ash
Shelves:
realistic-fiction,
awesome-covers
I'm not going to be able to say enough great things about this book but I'll try my best.
Sophie (our main character) feels like she is an amoeba. She doesn't feel like she fits or belongs anywhere. Well that obviously changes throughout the course of the story.One night her life changes when a little immigrant boy named Pablo comes into her life. The boy has seen much and lost his parents trying to cross the border. Five year old Pablo stays with them about a year, but eventually Sophie and her...more
Sophie (our main character) feels like she is an amoeba. She doesn't feel like she fits or belongs anywhere. Well that obviously changes throughout the course of the story.One night her life changes when a little immigrant boy named Pablo comes into her life. The boy has seen much and lost his parents trying to cross the border. Five year old Pablo stays with them about a year, but eventually Sophie and her...more
If nothing this book is unique. Sophie is really afraid about losing someone, germs, murderers, etc. People are scared of these things to some degree but Sophie thinks about it all the time. But Sophie is going to be tested she will need to go on a journey, not a very safe journey either. Sophie isn't like any heroine I've ever met while reading. This is the first time I've heard a girl describe herself as an amoeba, very strange.
This book kind of follows the whole girl finding herself in anothe...more
This book kind of follows the whole girl finding herself in anothe...more
The author writes with wonderful evocative language that invites readers to engage with the story and the characters. Sophie, for example, a shy introverted young lady informs us that, "like that Native American story where white people weren't fully baked in the ovens so their clay never reached the proper brown color, my body was more underbaked than most, (and) my spirit felt underbaked too."
Or, after friendly conversation with Angel, she notes "…our words were gently bobbing along on the su...more
Or, after friendly conversation with Angel, she notes "…our words were gently bobbing along on the su...more
2 likes
·
like
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I expected this to be one of those books that's trying too hard to be 'multicultural,' where the experience of Mexican culture opens a character's eyes and she finds herself blah blah blah. I was more than pleasantly surprised when I found myself in a story where the 'multicultural' details felt natural and necessary, where another culture is not seen as some perfect thing, but as a flawed yet beautiful world. The story fits the classic form of hero going on a voyage, but in this case our hero,...more
This is a beautifully written, well-crafted book. It is definitely a coming of age story with an international flair. Sophie is the daughter of an English mother and a Mexican immigrant stepfather. She has a Bosnian war refuge "Aunt" and a Guatemalan boyfriend. Her journey to Mexico (and Guatemala) to return a rescued 6-year-old Mexican boy (who is the only survivor after he and his parents illegally cross the border into Arizona)to his extended family helps her to grow beyond her imaginary fear...more
A really lovely and original book, filled with unique characters. I love a YA that I don't feel like I've already read a dozen times.
My only problem was that the author set up Mexico to sound like heaven, Guatemala like hell. She does have nice and generous Guatemalan characters, and she has good descriptions of how beautiful the countryside is, but violence is emphasized--overemphasized, I think.
ETA: I wrote to the author to tell her how much I liked the book, and also mentioned that I was disa...more
My only problem was that the author set up Mexico to sound like heaven, Guatemala like hell. She does have nice and generous Guatemalan characters, and she has good descriptions of how beautiful the countryside is, but violence is emphasized--overemphasized, I think.
ETA: I wrote to the author to tell her how much I liked the book, and also mentioned that I was disa...more
2 likes
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like
· see review
This beautiful story begins the night fearful sixteen-year-old Sophie is rereading Exupéry's The Little Prince at the same time a small Mexican boy is found in the nearby Arizona desert with her stepfather's business card in his pocket. Spanning three countries and four cultures, with loving, big-hearted characters, (especially great-aunt Dika, a Bosian refugee; little Pablo; and the ancient Mixteco, Ñola), Red Glass follows Sophie's transformation from timid, lonely girl who risks nothing for f...more
Oct 09, 2012
Ricarlismarshall
added it
One night Sophie, her mother, and her stepfather are called to a hospital, where Pablo, a five year old Mexican boy, is recovering from dehydration. Pablo was carrying the business card of Sophie's stepfather but he doesn't recognize the boy. Crossing the border into Arizona with seven other Mexicans and a coyote, or guide, Pablo and his parents faced such harsh conditions that the boy is the only survivor. Pablo comes to live with Sophie, her parents, and Sophie's aunt Dika, a refugee from the...more
Call me naive, but I've always wondered why immigration (illegal and otherwise) across our southern border, especially from Mexico, is a political issue and not a humanitarian one. Red Glass perfectly illustrates why. Its opening scene is so visceral and heartbreaking, especially for me as an older sister, that I almost put the book down, unsure if I would be able to take it. Of course, I didn't put it down, and for that I'm glad. Red Glass is the kind of book that can be life-changing.
The first...more
The first...more
I....I don't know how to adequetly express how I feel about this book. It's amazing and fantastic and so impressive. Laura Resau certainly has made me enjoy her novels, and I have read the majority of them. But I read Red Glass last. I had liked the sweeping, isolated mountain setting of an indengenious culture in What the Moon Saw ; the racially-divided Ecuador of The Queen of Water; and the globe-hopping scenes of the Notebook series (Mexico in The Indigo Notebook and France in The Ruby...more
Sophie thinks of herself as a shy person but I think of her as someone who has no one to be connected with. Pablo enters the picture and Sophie finally has someone she can connect with and she is needed. Pablo is the illegal immigrant that Sophie's parents take care of since the rest of the immigrants did not make the trip successfully. A business card found in the pants pocket of the immigrants laid this responsibility in their hands. Pablo is taken back to Mexico to his hometown to see his onl...more
Sophie, a teenager in Arizona, is very neurotic. There's no nice way to describe her constant and total fear of germs, disease and life in general!
She lives with her mom, her mom's boyfriend Juan and a somewhat crazy great-aunt Dika. Their lives become intertwined with Pablo, a five-year old Mexican immigrant who is the only survivor of a border crossing gone bad. Sophie and family become Pablo's foster family. After one year with him, they determine what Mexican village he is from and decide t...more
She lives with her mom, her mom's boyfriend Juan and a somewhat crazy great-aunt Dika. Their lives become intertwined with Pablo, a five-year old Mexican immigrant who is the only survivor of a border crossing gone bad. Sophie and family become Pablo's foster family. After one year with him, they determine what Mexican village he is from and decide t...more
It took me forever to read this, but not because of the content...it's just that SSR is only 10 minutes! Anyways, the main character is a high school aged girl named Sophie...think Bella from Twilight...very shy, always hurting herself, rock-bottom self esteem. She lives in a Southern Arizonan town and is awoken one night to find out a little boy, Pablo, has been found on the US side of the border with her father's business card in his pocket. Sophie, Mom, Dad, and great-aunt (Dika) go to the ho...more
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This is tricky. The middle school librarian asked me to read this book and tell her what I think. That conversation will happen in a few days. I have no idea what she wants to know? I would give this book five stars if the author hadn't crossed a line, more than once, into, in my opinion, too sensual of descriptions. The book would be just the same if she would have left them out. Sophie, the 15 year old main character, steps out of her box, rather tremendously, and drives for a week with other...more
Red Glass. Red because it is the color of blood. Glass because light passes through it. Red because it is the color of love. Glass because it can be both smooth and sharp. Red glass symbolizes many things, and appears in different forms throughout Resau's story. It ties together Dika, a war refugee from the Baltic states, and a mysterious woman in white who is a victim of guerilla warfare in Guatemala. It ties these women to Sophie, a high school girl who is transulcent as colorless glass, as in...more
Mar 17, 2013
Liz B.
added it
The book Red Glass by Laura Resau tells the story of a young girl who learns about love and family from four very important people. Sophie is a young teenager whose mother and stepfather have been helping illegal immigrants from Mexico enter the country for as long as she could remember. Sophie, her parents, and her Aunt Dika who is a refugee of the war in Bosnia, are all called to the hospital one night. The Police told them they found an orphaned 6 year old Mexican boy who had the business car...more
A cute and heartwarming story. The plot was not "mainstream" (no vampires, witches, werewolves, post apocalyptic, etc.), which was very refreshing. What was also refreshing was that it touched upon very classic teenage struggles (i.e: identity, friendship/loneliness, love, family, etc.) but was accomplished in a realistic yet wholesome manner. As far as the plot was concerned, I would call it simple. There was some tension built into the story, however, I felt like overall it stayed pretty calm...more
Ugh. I had such a hard time getting through this! First of all, Sophie's voice felt much younger than her declared age, making the "romantic" portions of the story awkward and creepy. Second, the "point" of the story was discarded for the better part of the second half of the book and ended up being resolved in a page and a half. Ugh. Third, she was traveling through Central America like an idiot and never had to face any consequences for it! She was SO unsafe, but everything turned out just fin...more
Marcia Vining
Resau, L. (2007). Red glass. New York: Delacorte Press.
Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Format: Print
Selection Process: Horn Book Review:
Isaac, M. (2008). Red Glass. Horn Book Magazine, 84(1), 93-94.
Review
Red Glass is an engaging book that deals with topics such as immigration, diversity and families within the context of a compelling narrative. Resau has done her homework and creates a believable setting and quickly draws the reader into the story of Sophie. Sophie's less than...more
Resau, L. (2007). Red glass. New York: Delacorte Press.
Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Format: Print
Selection Process: Horn Book Review:
Isaac, M. (2008). Red Glass. Horn Book Magazine, 84(1), 93-94.
Review
Red Glass is an engaging book that deals with topics such as immigration, diversity and families within the context of a compelling narrative. Resau has done her homework and creates a believable setting and quickly draws the reader into the story of Sophie. Sophie's less than...more
Red Glass by Laura Resau, 2007, Delacorte Press, 275 pgs.$15.99; 978-0-385-73466-0
Grades 6+, Ages 12+,
4 Stars
Sophie is a world champion worry-wart. There’s car accidents, cancer or even becoming an orphan. She “couldn’t shake the feeling that there was always a dark, sinister shape lurking just underneath the surface…What if you could never feel pure happiness?“ So when the hospital calls her mother and stepfather because there is a six year old Mexican boy who is the sole survivor of an attempt...more
Grades 6+, Ages 12+,
4 Stars
Sophie is a world champion worry-wart. There’s car accidents, cancer or even becoming an orphan. She “couldn’t shake the feeling that there was always a dark, sinister shape lurking just underneath the surface…What if you could never feel pure happiness?“ So when the hospital calls her mother and stepfather because there is a six year old Mexican boy who is the sole survivor of an attempt...more
This is a story of Sophie, a 16-year-old girl, who learns how to step out of her comfort zone, and she discovers that she was missing out on a lot while she wasted time being afraid of potential freak accidents, food poisoning, and amoebas. This self-discovery journey begins when her family takes in a Mexican boy, Pablo, whose family died while they were crossing the Mexico-Arizona border. A year later, Sophie travels to visit Pablo's family in Mexico with Pablo, her crazy Bosnian refugee aunt,...more
Red Glass by Laura Resau is easily one of the best books I've read this year, and is one of the few books that has brought me to tears. Despite all of the awards it's been recognized with, Red Glass receives nowhere near enough attention considering how much it deserves. Above all, this is an exceptional story about love – love across the generations, romantic love, familial love, and love for one’s heritage. Even if it is difficult to relate to the exact situation any of the characters are in,...more
4.5 stars
Overall Review:
Sophie is afraid of everything. Germs, natural disasters, violence, and awkward social situations all strike terror into her heart. At school, she feels like an amoeba: Solitary and shapeless, unable to connect to any of the other kids her age. Until her family becomes involved with a frightened young boy who sets in motion a chain of events that will change Sophie's life forever. In "Red Glass," Laura Resau weaves a story that is quietly captivating; I was completely dr...more
Overall Review:
Sophie is afraid of everything. Germs, natural disasters, violence, and awkward social situations all strike terror into her heart. At school, she feels like an amoeba: Solitary and shapeless, unable to connect to any of the other kids her age. Until her family becomes involved with a frightened young boy who sets in motion a chain of events that will change Sophie's life forever. In "Red Glass," Laura Resau weaves a story that is quietly captivating; I was completely dr...more
This is a strong story, with interesting insights into Latino culture. But there’s too much of a fairy tale feel-good component for what is otherwise a very realistic work of fiction.
I like how Resau depicts the illegal immigrant network from Mexico to the US. She provides fascinating details of Mexican village life as well. And I wonder how accurate her description is, concerning the dangers of Guatemala. One of my colleagues is Guatemalan: from what he’s shared, and the evidence of this novel...more
I like how Resau depicts the illegal immigrant network from Mexico to the US. She provides fascinating details of Mexican village life as well. And I wonder how accurate her description is, concerning the dangers of Guatemala. One of my colleagues is Guatemalan: from what he’s shared, and the evidence of this novel...more
Keri McLucas
Multicultural fiction
Pablo, a six year old boy and the only survivor of a group of immigrants who were killed while crossing the Arizona desert. He is taken in by Sophie, a 16 year old girl, and her family. For more than a year, Sophie takes care of Pablo, considering him to be her "Little Prince", and a brother. Sophie learns that Pablo has extended family members who are still alive and feels that she must help Pablo to visit them. She and four family members pack and travel from...more
Multicultural fiction
Pablo, a six year old boy and the only survivor of a group of immigrants who were killed while crossing the Arizona desert. He is taken in by Sophie, a 16 year old girl, and her family. For more than a year, Sophie takes care of Pablo, considering him to be her "Little Prince", and a brother. Sophie learns that Pablo has extended family members who are still alive and feels that she must help Pablo to visit them. She and four family members pack and travel from...more
Jan 28, 2009
Nora
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
7th grade and up girls
Recommended to Nora by:
Battle of the Books, Chicago 09
Shelves:
older-elementary,
teen-fiction
I loved it while reading it, although it felt contrived at times. The writing is beautiful and so vivid I can picture, smell, feel every scene. By the end of the book I was tired of Sophie quoting The Little Prince and of Resau adding symbolism to every sentence. But, Sophie our narrator is a dreamy poetry-loving teenager, so I guess it's allowed. Besides, I know lots of teenage girls that will eat it up.
I know it's oversimplifying, but "Red Glass" seems like a mature version of Becoming Naomi L...more
I know it's oversimplifying, but "Red Glass" seems like a mature version of Becoming Naomi L...more
Top notch descriptions come to life with rhythm, alliteration, and imagery. "After a half hour, I got off at the town where I'd have to transfer buses. It wasn't much of a town as far as I could tell--just a mosaic of mud and dust and colored tarps strung over wooden market stands heaped with fruit and vegetables. Vendors fanned flies away from raw meat and wet cheeses and bowls of bubbling soups. Through air thick with odors of overripe fruit, people called out to one another, kids screeched an...more
I read this book to be prepared to help English 9 classes finish it next week. It has heavy themes, including immigration from Mexico and civil war, but the book is more about the main character and her internal struggle. There are some great motifs, and the book is written pretty well. I didn't feel like the writing or vocabulary was dumbed down for teens, as many YA authors feel the need to do. I wish the book would've spent more time on the larger themes than relationships and Sophie's intern...more
Wow! Don't read this one - listen to the audio book. The narrator is amazing! And the variety of accents really make this one way better when read aloud.
Sophie's family takes in a young Mexican boy who was the only survivor of a group - including his parents - that died in the desert trying to enter the U.S. Sophie's stepdad is Mexican, so she and her mom speak Spanish. They agree to make Pablo a part of their family, and after some research, find his relatives back in Mexico. That summer, they...more
Sophie's family takes in a young Mexican boy who was the only survivor of a group - including his parents - that died in the desert trying to enter the U.S. Sophie's stepdad is Mexican, so she and her mom speak Spanish. They agree to make Pablo a part of their family, and after some research, find his relatives back in Mexico. That summer, they...more
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![Red Glass, Narrated By Emma Bering, 7 Cds [Complete & Unabridged Audio Work] (Audio CD Library Binding)](http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349070107s/7043376.jpg)
I'm the author of the young adult novels The Queen of Water, Red Glass, What the Moon Saw, The Indigo Notebook, The Ruby Notebook , The Jade Notebook, and the middle-grade novel Star in the Forest. I grew up in Maryland, then moved around for ten years (as student, ESL teacher, and anthropologist), making my home in New Orleans; Aix-en-Provence, France; Oaxaca, Mexico; Tucson; and now, Fort Colli...more
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