Cuba in My Pocket
Written by Adrianna Cuevas
Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
“I don’t remember. Tell me everything, Pepito. Tell me about Cuba.“
When the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961 solidifies Castro’s power in Cuba, twelve-year-old Cumba’s family makes the difficult decision to send him to Florida alone. Faced with the prospect of living in another country by himself, Cumba tries to remember the sound of his father’s clarinet, the smell of his mother’s lavender perfume.
Life in the United States presents a whole new set of challenges. Lost in a sea of English speakers, Cumba has to navigate a new city, a new school, and new freedom all on his own. With each day, Cumba feels more confident in his new surroundings, but he continues to wonder: Will his family ever be whole again? Or will they remain just out of reach, ninety miles across the sea?
Look for the Spanish version, Con Cuba en el bolsillo.
Primary ISBN: 9780374314675
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook, eBook
Middle Grade, Age 8 or older
Community Represented: Cuban/Cuban American
Themes: Discrimination: Cultural, Discrimination: Immigration Status, Discrimination: Language Ability, Educator Resource, Engagement Tool: Discussion, Engagement Tool: Video, Family Separation: Different Immigration Status, Multilingual Character, Own Voices/Lived Experience, Refugee: War/Conflict, Unaccompanied Minors
Setting: Cuba, United States
Character’s New Arrival/New American Status: Refugee
Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience
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Educator Guide
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