A collection of five short stories and a novella which offers valuable portraits of New York City women and the rituals of survival that shape their lives. These tales of triumph, pathos, humor, and masterworks from the winner of The New York Times Best Book of the Year, the Jane Addams Book Award, and the Library Journal Award....

In a city called New York ...
In a neighborhood called El Bronx ...

• The Fernandex children own a very special pet: A white hen named after their favorite Hollywood movie star.
• A new girl comes to school - a gypsy child who can read palms and foretell the future.
• A young boy must face the humiliation of wearing his uncle's orange roach-killer shoes to his high school graduation.

In the South Bronx - or El Bronx, as it's known to the people who live there - anything can happen. A migrant "fresh off the boat" from Puerto Rico can be somebody on the mainland, pursue the American Dream ... and maybe even make it come true.

Here are stories that capture the flavor and beat of El Bronx in its heyday, from 1946-1956.

A New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year
Finalist, 1976 National Book Award for Children's Literature
A Notable Children's Trade Book in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)

...

In a city called New York ...
In a neighborhood called El Bronx ...

• The Fernandex children own a very special pet: A white hen named after their favorite Hollywood movie star.
• A new girl comes to school - a gypsy child who can read palms and foretell the future.
• A young boy must face the humiliation of wearing his uncle's orange roach-killer shoes to his high school graduation.

In the South Bronx - or El Bronx, as it's known to the people who live there - anything can happen. A migrant "fresh off the boat" from Puerto Rico can be somebody on the mainland, pursue the American Dream ... and maybe even make it come true.

Here are stories that capture the flavor and beat of El Bronx in its heyday, from 1946-1956.

A New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year
Finalist, 1976 National Book Award for Children's Literature
A Notable Children's Trade Book in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)

...

A young girl growing up in Spanish Harlem in the 1940's watches the secure world of her childhood years slowly erode away....

A vivid portrayal of a close-knit Hispanic community

Felita's parents promise she will love their new neighborhood. Only Abuelita, her grandmother, understands how much Felita will miss her old block, and her best friend Gigi. But her new neighbors taunt and tease Felita and her family because they are from Puerto Rico. First published twenty years ago, Felita's compelling story has resonance for kids today.

"An honest, realistic view of an important aspect of contemporary American life." --The Horn Book

* An NCSS-CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies
* A Child Study Children's Book Committee Children's Book of the Year

* A Puffin Novel
* 112 pages
* Ages 8-12...

Feeling like an outsider when she visits her relatives in Puerto Rico for the first time, eleven-year-old Felita tries to come to terms with the heritage she always took for granted....