Synopsis
Fifteen-year-old Lorenzo Bonifacio never intended to be a soldier. But when the soldados raid his tiny Mexican village, Lorenzo finds himself forced to join General Santa Anna's army . . . all because of the pesky goatherd Catalina and the haughty Esteban Equivel, son of the wealthiest landowner in the region.
Taken under wing by the kind Sergeant Ildefonso, Lorenzo and Esteban endure boredom, exhaustion, and hunger as the army makes its way across Mexico to San Antonio de Bexar, where rebellious norte-americanos have barricaded themselves inside an old mission called El Alamo. Neither boy can imagine what lies at the end of the march—defeat, death, glory?—and neither can accept the price paid during the fight for Texas.
Deena Williams Newman - Alan Review
The captivating story of fifteen-year-old Lorenzo Beonfiacio gives American readers a new perspective of the 1836 battle at the Alamo, an old mission near San Antonio, Texas. Lorenzo, a poor, motherless boy from a tiny village in Mexico, is conscripted by gunpoint to join the Mexican Army, led by General Santa Anna. Garland paints superb word pictures, portraying unspeakable living conditions and horrible scenes of death and war. The best part of the book is the characterization. The reader is pulled gently into the mind and heart of Lorenzo as he reveals his hatred toward Santa Anna, his love for his friends and family, and his fears about the future. The author's thorough research is evident as she describes the landscape, climate, and culture and gives insights into the inner workings of the Mexican army. Designated for ages 10 and up, In the Shadow of the Alamo contains significant lessons about life, war and history. 2001, Gulliver Books, 282 pp.,