Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child

PantherTeacher - The Circuit by Francisco Jimenez is one of the most inspiring books that I have ever read about the life of an immigrant family and their struggle to make a better life for themselves. The story begins when the family catches a train headed for La Frontera. They cross the border in California to find work and a better life. When they arrive they realize that things in the U.S. aren’t as easy as they’d imagined. Eventually the family finds work and Panchito, the main character, is allowed to go to school for the first time. At school Panchito is challenged because he is unable to speak English. This makes it difficult for him to understand his teacher and classmates. Things get better for him when he begins to make a few friends. One of my favorite quotes from the Circuit is when the family is praying for their littlest member to survive a terrible sickness and Mama says, “The doctor said it would take a miracle for him to live. I didn’t want to believe him, but he was right. It took a miracle.” I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in stories about adventure and adversity. The Jimenez family find that they can make it through some of the most difficult times if they stick together and love one another. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars!! What makes it even better is that it is the first book in a wonderful trilogy.