Treasure of the World

December 15, 2020
Hoping to escape the harsh labor that binds her Bolivian mining village to the mountain called Cerro Rico, 12-year-old Ana risks life and soul to unchain herself and her family. For Ana and her sickly younger brother, Daniel, cherished school days come to a premature close when Papi, a man filled with meanness, forces Daniel to join him in the mines. Daniel, however, doesn't last long, returning sick on his second day. Brave Ana volunteers to take her brother's place until he can recover, much to the disapproval of Mami, Abuelita, and, particularly, the other miners, who deem her appearance in the mines a bad omen. The dreaded misfortune comes in the form of a cave-in: Papi dies and Daniel goes missing. Though everyone believes that Daniel is dead, Ana doesn't give up hope and secretly enters the mountain one quiet night to find him, ending up lost, disoriented, and on the verge of death. But when she returns to the land of the living, she finds her world forever altered. The bittersweet splendors in Sullivan's latest offer an intense meditation on community, child labor, and ancestral roots, among other themes. Rich with memorable characters and streaks of brilliant writing, as in the author's previous works, Ana's story takes readers on an arduous and ultimately rewarding journey that illuminates a fraction of the human toll behind the profit-driven pursuits of a materialistic world. Heartbreakingly splendid. (author's note, note on language use, glossary) (Fiction. 10-14)

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February 1, 2021
Grades 4-8 Twelve-year-old Ana lives with her family in a small Bolivian mining village. Papi (who drinks too much and abuses his family) insists that Ana's younger brother Daniel come to work with him in the mines, despite his being sickly and unsuited to the task. When Daniel falls ill, Ana temporarily takes his place, enduring rock falls, bad air, toxins, and verbal abuse from the other miners. Then a mining accident results in Papi's death and Daniel's disappearance, leaving the family completely destitute. Sullivan, who addressed child labor in the cocoa industry in The Bitter Side of Sweet (2016), here exposes the tragedy of child miners forced to leave school to help support their families by working in the ""mountain that eats men."" Much of this story is grim, with food insecurity, domestic abuse, and sudden death all expected events. Readers are left with a glint of hope as Ana fixes her sights on a life outside of the mines, but the dire plight of all these families is abundantly clear.

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February 5, 2021

Gr 5 Up-Twelve-year-old Ana lives on a mountain called Cerro Rico in Bolivia with her parents, brother, and Abuelita. They are descendants of the Incas who were enslaved to mine the mountain for gold hundreds of years ago. To the locals, Cerro Rico is called the "mountain that eats men." Ana and her brother's shared dream of escape through education comes to an abrupt end when their angry, abusive Papi decides that it is time for Daniel to become a man of the mines. Daniel, already frail with respiratory problems, becomes sick after two days. When Ana volunteers to take Daniel's place so that Daniel can recover, Papi is unwilling, but the family needs the money. The other miners view Ana's presence as a bad omen. When there is a cave-in several weeks later, Ana is blamed instead of the poor working conditions. Her Papi was killed in the disaster and Daniel is missing, presumed dead. Ana will not accept that Daniel has died and enters the mine alone one night to search for him, thus endangering her own life. The arduous life of mining families is vividly drawn. Their existence is bleak, with long hours worked in dangerous conditions for little pay. Historical context is provided via memorable, often intense conversations between characters. Readers will be drawn immediately to Ana's voice and her resilience. VERDICT This utterly riveting first purchase offers a view of complex family dynamics and child labor that is shocking and powerful.-Brenda Kahn, Tenakill M.S., Closter, NJ

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