Overview
He wanted to be treated like a man, not a child.
Every summer the men of the Chavez family go on a long and difficult sheep drive to the mountains. All the men, that is, except for Miguel. All year long, twelve-year-old Miguel tries to prove that he, too, is up to the challenge'that he, too, is up to the challenge'that he, too is ready to take the sheep into his beloved Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
When his deeds go unnoticed, he prays to San Ysidro, the saint for farmers everywhere. And his prayer is answered . . . but with devastating consequences.
When you act like and adult but get treated like a child, what else can you do but keep your wishes secret and pray that they'll come true.
This is the story of a twelve-year-old Miguel Chavez, who yearns in his heart to go with the men of his family on a long and hard sheep drive to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains—until his prayer is finally answered, with a disturbing and dangerous exchange.
- Cover illustration by Chris Miles
- Interior illustrations by Jean Charlot
Synopsis
He wanted to be treated like a man, not a child.
Every summer the men of the Chavez family go on a long and difficult sheep drive to the mountains. All the men, that is, except for Miguel. All year long, twelve-year-old Miguel tries to prove that he, too, is up to the challenge'that he, too, is up to the challenge'that he, too is ready to take the sheep into his beloved Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
When his deeds go unnoticed, he prays to San Ysidro, the saint for farmers everywhere. And his prayer is answered . . . but with devastating consequences.
When you act like and adult but get treated like a child, what else can you do but keep your wishes secret and pray that they'll come true.
This is the story of a twelve-year-old Miguel Chavez, who yearns in his heart to go with the men of his family on a long and hard sheep drive to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains—until his prayer is finally answered, with a disturbing and dangerous exchange.
- Cover illustration by Chris Miles
- Interior illustrations by Jean Charlot
Children's Literature
Twelve-year-old Miguel Chavez longs to accompany the adult males of his close-knit, sheep-herding family into the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, where for generations they have pastured their sheep during the three months of summer. When Miguel first asks his father if he can go too, his father replies, "Not this year." Miguel hopes to prove him wrong by showing that he can do the work of a man in caring for the family sheep. He also prays to San Isidro, and when his prayer seems to be answered in a way that he did not foresee, he wonders if he has done the right thing. This now classic, coming of age novel won the Newbery Award in 1954, and still has a timeless appeal in its depiction of the northern New Mexico setting, the joys and hardships of sheep-herding, and the warmth of an extended, Hispanic family. The first person narrative has touches of humor, especially when describing some of the problems dealing with the sheep. 1984 (orig.