74 pages • 2 hours read
Julia AlvarezA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez is a 2009 realistic middle-grade novel set in Vermont that alternates between the perspectives of 11-year-olds Tyler Paquette and Mari Cruz. After Tyler’s father becomes unable to work, his family hires three Mexican men, including Mari’s father, to help on their farm. Tyler and Mari form a friendship despite the challenges posed by anti-immigrant sentiments and legal issues relating to the Cruz family’s undocumented status. The book won both the Pura Belpré Award and the Américas Award. This book deals with the complex realities of undocumented immigration, including family separation, legal jeopardy, and exploitation.
Readers of Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez applaud its engaging storytelling and timely exploration of immigration issues, depicting the intersecting lives of a Vermont farm boy and a Mexican immigrant girl. Critics point out occasional predictability in plot development but appreciate the book's emotive resonance and its ability to spark important conversations.
Readers who enjoy Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez are typically interested in contemporary issues such as immigration and family dynamics. Fans of Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros will find similar themes of cultural identity and resilience.
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352
Novel • Fiction
2009
Middle grade
10-14 years
890L