Lakas, a young Filipino American, befriends several street performers who all live in the Makibaka Hotel. The hotel (a stand-in for a real San Francisco apartment building threatened with closing in 2002) becomes the focus of a musical protest when Lakas organizes the larger-than-life tenants: Tick A. Boom, the hip drummer with the gold tooth, Firefoot, a tap-dancer whose shoes throw off sparks and Fernando, the Karaoke King, an Elvis impersonator. Makibaka is the Tagalog word for struggle, and Robles is making a didactic political statement about solidarity in the fight against gentrification. Whether kids will be interested is the question, but the sugar coating may help. The vivid paintings have a cartoon quality that punches off the page and there are some fun touches: The landlord wears a hat and suit of $1000 bills. (bilingual English-Tagalog text) (Picture book. 6-9)
