★ “A captivating read.”—School Library Journal, Starred
One night Sophie and her parents are called t... read full description
One night Sophie and her parents are called t... read full description
reviews
Jun 04, 2011
Cara
rated it: 
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 Sop 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 Sop More...
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Jan 22, 2009
Toby
rated it: 
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 gent More...
Or, after friendly conversation with Angel, she notes "…our words were gent More...
Jan 07, 2008
Jess
rated it:
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
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Apr 30, 2008
Jean
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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 im
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Mar 12, 2008
Wendy
rated it:
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 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 More...
Feb 14, 2008
Clay
rated it:
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
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Dec 12, 2011
Paige
rated it:
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
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Aug 01, 2011
Sandy
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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 o
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Jul 30, 2011
Johnp
rated it: 
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 fr 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 fr More...
Jul 02, 2011
Maggie
rated it:
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.
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Apr 22, 2011
Caelea
rated it:
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 h
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Jan 13, 2011
Maria
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Sep 28, 2010
Cinnapatty
rated it: 
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
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Mar 29, 2010
Janessa
rated it:
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,
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Dec 08, 2009
Mary
rated it:
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 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 More...
Feb 03, 2009
Sarah
rated it:
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
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Jul 15, 2009
Kristin
rated it:
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,
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Feb 11, 2012
Keri
rated it:
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 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 More...
Sep 05, 2009
Diana
rated it:
YA novel, I think I just picked it up at the library, i.e., nobody recommended it. It’s not bad at all. I thought the author did a good job of the settings, Tucson, a journey to a Mixtec village in Oaxaca, another to a small Mayan town in Guatemala. Everything felt very rich and real. The story was also pretty good, although I felt a shade teachy, if not preachy. Girl with multiple fears and anxieties learns to be strong through facing real danger blah blah.
I muse a good deal about More...
I muse a good deal about More...
Jan 28, 2009
Nora
rated it:
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 vers More...
I know it's oversimplifying, but "Red Glass" seems like a mature vers More...
Sep 23, 2011
Ronni
rated it:
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 screech
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Sep 18, 2011
Adrienne
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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
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Aug 11, 2009
Susan P
rated it:
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. 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. More...
Jun 13, 2009
Melissa
rated it:
This book is both two love stories and the gradual transformation of a girl who feels like an amoeba - an outcast - in contrast to the world's organisms. We can all relate to that at one time or another. I was mesmerized from beginning to end, and read it cover to cover in one sitting.
The main character, Sophie, reminded me of my own daughter - with her fears and worries. Sophie's transformation throughout the story reminded me of the possibilities in life to change. I loved it a More...
The main character, Sophie, reminded me of my own daughter - with her fears and worries. Sophie's transformation throughout the story reminded me of the possibilities in life to change. I loved it a More...
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Jul 06, 2010
Annell
rated it:
Once again, another great read from Laura Resau. The characters in this book are very real and remind me of people I know. I would love to meet Dika ("Dika came with mounds of flesh and cheap jewelry, a wardrobe of tight turquoise shirts, white capri pants, peroxided hair. She inserted herself into our lives loudly. I wasn't completely convinced she was even our relative." pg.25) and Nola ("Oh, she always does this. She's Nola. My great-great-grandmother. And sometimes she feels l
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Jul 16, 2009
Jenny
rated it:
Red Glass is a coming of age story following Campbell's hero's journey. I love books about healing and awakening and I'm fascinated with Mayan culture, unfortunately the main characters simply didn't come to life for me. While I realize this a young adult book, there was still too much teenage angst for me enjoy it. Resau tried too hard to put in the sexual tension and emergence of adolescence without getting too graphic. So while I think a younger teen would connect more with Sophie's fear and
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Feb 23, 2011
Karen
rated it:
This was recommended by a middle school librarian. It's fantastic and will be on the TCA review list this summer. It's so complex it's hard to summarize, but girl 15 or 16 mostly raised by single mom who is herself a British import to Arizona, until Juan - Mexican/American gets together with Mom. Great Aunt Dika is Bosnian and may or may not actually be related to Mom, but joins the family regardless. Juan gives occasional aid to Mexicans coming into America and that's how they end up taking i
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Nov 16, 2011
Wei Yun
rated it:
Ok, love the book. i'm a fan of fantasy and this book kept me interested even though it has almost nothing to do with fantasy. Really enjoyable.
So the story is about a young girl that is afraid of many things like poison infection and many other 'not very common get stuff'. On day a boy who cross the Mexican boarder came to live at their house, Pablo. After finding/contacting his grandma, they decided to visit and then he can decide where to live. The trip was taken with Dika, the girls a More...
So the story is about a young girl that is afraid of many things like poison infection and many other 'not very common get stuff'. On day a boy who cross the Mexican boarder came to live at their house, Pablo. After finding/contacting his grandma, they decided to visit and then he can decide where to live. The trip was taken with Dika, the girls a More...
Mar 30, 2009
ONE NIGHT SOPHIE and her parents are called to a hospital where Pedro, 6-year-old Mexican boy, is recovering from dehydration. Crossing the border into Arizona with a group of Mexicans and a coyote, or guide, Pedro and his parents faced such harsh conditions that the boy is the only survivor. Pedro comes to live with Sophie, her parents, and Sophie's Aunt Dika, a refugee of the war in Bosnia. Sophie loves Pedro - her Principito, or Little Prince. But after a year, Pedro's surviving family in Mex
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Jun 15, 2011
Anna Francesca
rated it:
The audio version of this YA novel was fantastic. While the pace is slower than many of the books I enjoy, the descriptions and word-choice were so vivid that it felt like I could taste the story. The reader's inflections and accents were very character-appropriate. As there are people from Guatamala, Mexico, England, Eastern Europe, and the United States, this is quite an accomplishment. This book has some magical elements, violence and a few sexual references, although none of it is gratui
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