I found this book on my kid’s reading stack. It’s about five middle school students who get stuck doing community service for their school- basically cleanup in the cafeteria and school grounds. They don’t know each other well and don’t feel they have much in common at first- there’s a smart kid who is focused on getting into the magnet high school, a shy “weird” girl, an athletic jock, a spoiled rich kid, and a rough-around-the-edges girl full of defensive attitude. However, some of the school staff seems to see them all the same, lumped together because they’re Latino (though one doesn’t even speak Spanish well). But they’re all from culturally different backgrounds, and all have their own kind of struggles (one kid has dyslexia, another is separated from their family, etc.) While doing the service work, they encounter someone else in a tough spot- a temporarily homless mother with a little girl. They try to help out but it looks like their efforts might get them into trouble- especially with the grey-haired stony-faced cafeteria lady who seems to have it out for them.
I really liked the message of this book, even though a few times it seemed a bit awkward or forced. And I liked that most of the dialog was presented in both Spanish and English. I tried to read it all in Spanish first before turning to the English iteration, to see if I had understood it all. Most! but there were quite a few words and phrases new to me.
Borrowed from the public library.
