EL GUERO: A True Adventure Story

by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 17, 1989

The author of I, Juan de Pareja (Newbery Award, 1966) here describes extraordinary events in the boyhood of her father-in-law, called ""El Guero"" because of his light hair. When Diaz seized the Mexican presidency in 1876, El Guero's father, a judge, was exiled to Baja California. He and his family were forced to make an arduous journey there, protected on the overland trek to Acapulco by a bandit who was grateful for the judge's surprisingly fair sentence years before--but then they were abandoned midway on their voyage north by an unscrupulous sea captain. At their destination, Ensenada, they found a military commander who not only did not welcome a civil authority but who conspired with American adventurers to foment rebellion and force US annexation. When his father was unjustly imprisoned, Guero--with the help of an Indian and a Mexican friend--escaped, made a dangerous journey to a higher authority, and was responsible for bringing the renegade to justice. Despite the fictionalization, this is more a series of exciting adventures than a suspenseful story. Still, El Guero's growing affection for his wise, courageous father is skillfully portrayed, and his first-person narrative is approachably direct and unadorned, with a good selection of authentic detail--though the Baja penisula is less vividly evoked than in George's Shark Beneath the Reef (p. 691/C-113). A fascinating footnote to history, enhanced by unusually evocative soft pencil illustrations.

Pub Date: June 17, 1989

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 102

Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1989

Categories: CHILDREN'S