Puss Reboots: Blog: November 2015: My Name Is Maria Isabel

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My Name Is Maria Isabel: 11/26/15

My Name Is Maria Isabel by Alma Flor Ada is a short chapter book about a young Puerto Rican girl who has moved to a new school and suffers both from homesickness and a loss of identity.

Maria Isabel's new teacher already has two students named Maria and decides a third will be too many. She decides to rename Maria Isobel, Mary Lopez. It's such a huge change that Maria never answers when she's called and she loses all interest in school, further alienating herself from her new teacher and classmates.

My Name Is Maria Isabel is Maria's journey to find a balance between her family life and her school life and to regain control over who she is at all times. It's also a gentle reminder to educators to be respectful to their students and to avoid trying to mold all students into convenient forms.

Five stars

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