The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano

August 6, 2012
In Sesame Street star and picture-book author Manzano’s (A Box Full of Kittens) first novel, set in 1969 Spanish Harlem, 14-year-old Evelyn Serrano finds a new appreciation for her family and pride in her Puerto Rican heritage amid neighborhood protests. Evelyn is frustrated with her struggling parents, who cling to the old ways of Puerto Rico, and sick of the “El Barrio fart smell of garbage” that makes the summer heat hard to bear. Things hit a fever pitch when Evelyn’s free-spirited abuela arrives to live with them, clashing with everyone. It’s Abuela who tells Evelyn about the 1937 Nationalist uprising in Puerto Rico and how it’s similar to the Young Lords who are burning garbage and occupying a local church to focus attention on the barrio. The knowledge helps bring three generations of women closer as they unite in a common cause. Manzano shines light on a little-known moment in history through the eyes of a realistically mercurial protagonist who can be both petulant and sympathetic. Evelyn’s tale fascinates, ending on a hopeful note. Ages 10–14. Agent: Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency.

Set in 1969, Manzano's first novel offers a realistically mercurial protagonist struggling with her identity in Spanish Harlem. Fourteen-year-old Rosa Maria Evelyn del Carmen Serrano is frustrated with life in El Barrio. Tired of working for her mother and stepfather in their bodega, she takes a job at a five-and-dime and hopes to trudge through the rest of the summer. Everything changes when her abuela arrives, taking over Evelyn's bedroom and bearing secrets of the family's involvement in Puerto Rico's tumultuous history. When a group called the Young Lords begins working to bring positive changes to the neighborhood, some residents are resistant, including Evelyn's mother. Led by her grandmother's example, Evelyn begins to take an interest in the efforts of the activist group. As the months pass, the three generations of women begin to see one another's perspectives, and Evelyn realizes the importance of her Puerto Rican heritage. Like most real-world teens, she changes subtly, rather than through one earth-shattering epiphany. The author effectively captures this shifting perception in the dialogue and Evelyn's first-person narration. Secondary characters of surprising dimension round out the plot and add to the novel's cultural authenticity, as do the Spanish and Spanglish words and phrases sprinkled throughout the text so seamlessly that a glossary would be moot. A stunning debut. (author's note, recommended reading) (Historical novel. 12 & up) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 1, 2012

Gr 6-10-Fourteen-year-old Evelyn Serrano lives in Spanish Harlem in 1969. Everything about her mother bothers her, from the woman's decorations to her "beggy" tone and slavish ways. When Evelyn's grandmother moves in with them, the three generations clash. Abuela is a patriota-an activist who supported the Puerto Rican nationalist movement in the 1930s, and who left her daughter to be raised by relatives. Evelyn's mother works every day with her husband, Evelyn's stepfather, in their bodega and dreams of owning a house in the Bronx, and Evelyn struggles with her own sense of identity. She and her grandmother become involved in the Young Lords movement, which is met by resistance from Mami. As the plot evolves so do Evelyn and her mother, and in the end all three women come to a place of understanding about one another and what it means to be Puerto Rican in El Barrio. Based on historical facts, the story paints a time line of the Young Lords movement as seen through Evelyn's eyes. She brings to life the sense of cultural awareness and pride that the movement invoked as well as the human-rights inequalities that were exposed by the Young Lords in Spanish Harlem. This novel is reminiscent of Pam Munoz Ryan's Esperanza Rising (Scholastic, 2000), not only because of the strong Latina characters in a historically important setting, but also for the hopeful, coming-of-age story that unfolds.Adrienne L. Strock, Maricopa County Library District, AZ

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 15, 2012
Grades 6-9 *Starred Review* Starting with the title, this wry, moving debut novel does a great job of blending the personal and the political without denigrating either. Growing up in the Puerto Rican East Harlem barrio in 1969, Rosa, 14, changes her name to Evelyn and tries to be more mainstream. Then her activist abuela arrives from Puerto Rico and moves in, and Evelyn feels as if she's found an older overdone version of me. Abuela inspires Evelyn to join the Young Lords, the political activists who are working closely with the Black Panthers and fighting for Puerto Rican rights. But Evelyn's mama does not approve, especially when the activists occupy the neighborhood church to demand food and shelter for the poor. Evelyn's first-person narrative is filled with irreverent one-liners, but it never denies the realism of daily struggle: the heat and stink of our neighborhood. Rooted in the author's own experience, the teen's intense narrative is set against real-life political events (reports from the New York Times are documented in an appendix), while the family drama and revelations continue right up to the end.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)