No Place

Having no place to play in their run-down inner city Los Angeles neighborhood, twelve-year-old Arturo and the other students in his sixth-grade class raise money and build a park, in the process learning about hard work, creativity, and teamwork.

Having no place to play in their run-down inner city neighborhood, twelve-year-old Arturo and the other children in his sixth-grade class decide to turn a vacant lot into a playground. At first even Arturo thinks his idea might be stupid. His brother and the other gang members in Los Vatos Locos make fun of him and some of the school officials are very skeptical. But, with their teacher's help, the children create a plan to build community support for the park. With the help of the media, they make contacts with local business leaders and, in formal presentations, convince them that this is an idea to get behind.

The story is inspired by actual events that led to Estrella Children's Park in central Los Angeles. Through the story of Arturo and his friends, No Place offers inspiration to young people everyone and practical instruction about how to take a good idea and make it a reality.

Children's Literature

Arturo and his older brother Francisco share a small apartment with their parents on a litter strewn and gang-tagged street opposite the freeway onramp in Los Angeles. On his way to his new sixth grade class, Arturo has to step around the young children playing with their toys on the steps of the apartment building. When he comes out on the sidewalk, he sees other small children pretending to drive in the dangerous derelict hulks of abandoned cars that fill the dump across the street from his front door. Sometimes he thinks his father and his friend Angel are right; nobody cares about the people on this street, and no one will do anything to help them. Arturo's teacher, Miss Fenwick, and her student teacher, Mr. Moreno, however, insist that much is possible through concerted action; by inviting the children to imagine a better place, they help both those who believe and those who doubt learn what can be accomplished if they work together. This fictionalized account of a true event tells how a class of sixth graders organized, advocated, earned money, and inspired others to donate to their cause to turn a dumping ground into a safe, green space for the neighborhood children to play. The lessons to be learned are about perseverance, standing up for what you think is right, and not being afraid to try. Although there is a happy ending, the story does not overlook the incredible challenges faced by those struggling to make a new life in this country; gangs, teenage pregnancy, and the sheer weight of poverty interrupt but do not derail this group of youngsters. Arturo's voice is consistent throughout and reflects many of the common issues of this age and socio-economic group—there aregirls who are pests and girls you like but are too shy to talk to, simultaneous envy of and anger toward your big brother, annoyance with adults telling you what to do, thoughts that school is a waste of time, and instinctive desire for revenge when someone you care about is hurt. There are strong girl and boy characters portrayed as well as positive role models for children from non-dominant cultures. Moreover, the teacher ties all the children's activities to curriculum learning opportunities in social studies, writing, and math, so this book offers just a wealth of potential uses in the classroom. Like Paul Fleischman's Seedfolks, this is an inspiring story of children initiating a project that brings a diverse community together in positive ways.