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A review by rhysesreads
The Street Belongs to Us by Karleen Pendleton Jimenez
5.0
I can’t praise this book enough. It’s a family friendly children’s book that is appropriate for all ages, but because of the topics, I would imagine it being especially valuable for readers in grades 4-6ish?
The main characters are two low class, Mexican American prepubescent kids who are living in LA in the 80s. Both of their parents are single parents who work hard and love their kids to death.
The premise of the story is that the city dug up the street in the beginning of summer with the promise of installing concrete sidewalks. Throughout the summer, the two kids play outside and use their imagination to enjoy the dirt, their neighborhood, and their city.
What I like about this book is the amount of awareness and education it has. There is so many, I will explain them below:
1. Living in single family households
2. Experiencing a parent who doesn’t love/want you
3. Life with Working parents and moody teenage brothers
4. Living with a Grandparent with Alzheimer’s. I loved this because it showed it in such a positive, optimistic light. It acknowledged the difficulties that come with it, but spun it to also highlight all of the good! It changed MY perspective of Alzheimer’s; I can only imagine how beneficial it would be for a kid who had a family member with it, too!
5. Death of a parent. When one of the MC’s parent died, things changed. They refused to wear anything but an army uniform, stopped having great hygiene, and started acting out in school a bit more. The book clearly describes these things and offers two perspectives - the perspective of the child and his feelings and reasoning (which make you have empathy for him). And the second perspective is of the friend, who acknowledges things are tough and doesn’t push boundaries to upset him
5. Healthy boundaries in relationships. I LOVE the way this book highlighted boundaries between the two MCs. They are friends, but they also respected each other’s boundaries and respected each other’s decisions.
6. Neurodivergent rep. I suspect one MC is neurodivergent because of the way he does/doesn’t answer questions (social cue things), his special interests in the military/war, his vast knowledge and enjoyment of learning yet terrible experience in school… there are so many things. And honestly? I love it. I’m sure so many kids will not only see themsleves in him, but see their friends in him (and learn through the other MC HOW to be friends with kids like him, WHY they do/don’t do things a certain way, and how NORMAL it is).
7. Genderqueer rep. I love the subtle cues at how the MC prefers masculine terms and being mistaken for a boy. I love that she corrects her mom to say that “girls can do __, too” when the mom doesn’t want her getting dirty or playing rough. But I especially love her relationship with her body. Her chest growing was a problem for her and made her upset about her gender - about not wanting to be a woman, at least she’s not sure she wants to be. And the way her bestie replied and explained how gender doesn’t match our body’s appearance?! How if her chest grows and she decides she’s a man, then it’s a man’s chest?! How no one can make the decision of if she’s a woman or not but her?! How some “animals” are male, female, or IN BETWEEN?! It was *chefs kiss* and made my little transmasc heart full. (PS SUPPORT TRANS KIDS)
8. Puberty fears. The way the puberty topic was handled was hilarious and awesome. I appreciate how the chest growing was something she was bothered by (bc same) but laughed so hard when she thought it was a heart problem. The librarian is the real one for figuring out that it was puberty-related though (and for stepping up when the kid was mistaken for a boy and harassed by another librarian when trying to use the bathroom!)
9. Education on the Mexican revolution, the Chicano movement, and what both Mexico and LA was like for both of those periods. I love how flawless these history lessons were integrated. It didn’t feel like a history lesson - it felt like a genuine STORY, both entertaining and captivating!
10. A happy ending. We all love a good happy ending. But you know what I love the most? A happy ending where kids aren’t forced into a romantic relationship, but are completely platonic. An ending where the kids feel loved and supported by their family and feel like they have a home. And that is what this book offers
The main characters are two low class, Mexican American prepubescent kids who are living in LA in the 80s. Both of their parents are single parents who work hard and love their kids to death.
The premise of the story is that the city dug up the street in the beginning of summer with the promise of installing concrete sidewalks. Throughout the summer, the two kids play outside and use their imagination to enjoy the dirt, their neighborhood, and their city.
What I like about this book is the amount of awareness and education it has. There is so many, I will explain them below:
1. Living in single family households
2. Experiencing a parent who doesn’t love/want you
3. Life with Working parents and moody teenage brothers
4. Living with a Grandparent with Alzheimer’s. I loved this because it showed it in such a positive, optimistic light. It acknowledged the difficulties that come with it, but spun it to also highlight all of the good! It changed MY perspective of Alzheimer’s; I can only imagine how beneficial it would be for a kid who had a family member with it, too!
5. Death of a parent. When one of the MC’s parent died, things changed. They refused to wear anything but an army uniform, stopped having great hygiene, and started acting out in school a bit more. The book clearly describes these things and offers two perspectives - the perspective of the child and his feelings and reasoning (which make you have empathy for him). And the second perspective is of the friend, who acknowledges things are tough and doesn’t push boundaries to upset him
5. Healthy boundaries in relationships. I LOVE the way this book highlighted boundaries between the two MCs. They are friends, but they also respected each other’s boundaries and respected each other’s decisions.
6. Neurodivergent rep. I suspect one MC is neurodivergent because of the way he does/doesn’t answer questions (social cue things), his special interests in the military/war, his vast knowledge and enjoyment of learning yet terrible experience in school… there are so many things. And honestly? I love it. I’m sure so many kids will not only see themsleves in him, but see their friends in him (and learn through the other MC HOW to be friends with kids like him, WHY they do/don’t do things a certain way, and how NORMAL it is).
7. Genderqueer rep. I love the subtle cues at how the MC prefers masculine terms and being mistaken for a boy. I love that she corrects her mom to say that “girls can do __, too” when the mom doesn’t want her getting dirty or playing rough. But I especially love her relationship with her body. Her chest growing was a problem for her and made her upset about her gender - about not wanting to be a woman, at least she’s not sure she wants to be. And the way her bestie replied and explained how gender doesn’t match our body’s appearance?! How if her chest grows and she decides she’s a man, then it’s a man’s chest?! How no one can make the decision of if she’s a woman or not but her?! How some “animals” are male, female, or IN BETWEEN?! It was *chefs kiss* and made my little transmasc heart full. (PS SUPPORT TRANS KIDS)
8. Puberty fears. The way the puberty topic was handled was hilarious and awesome. I appreciate how the chest growing was something she was bothered by (bc same) but laughed so hard when she thought it was a heart problem. The librarian is the real one for figuring out that it was puberty-related though (and for stepping up when the kid was mistaken for a boy and harassed by another librarian when trying to use the bathroom!)
9. Education on the Mexican revolution, the Chicano movement, and what both Mexico and LA was like for both of those periods. I love how flawless these history lessons were integrated. It didn’t feel like a history lesson - it felt like a genuine STORY, both entertaining and captivating!
10. A happy ending. We all love a good happy ending. But you know what I love the most? A happy ending where kids aren’t forced into a romantic relationship, but are completely platonic. An ending where the kids feel loved and supported by their family and feel like they have a home. And that is what this book offers