The Jumping Tree

About this book

These lively stories follow Rey Castaneda from sixth through eighth grade in Nuevo Penitas Texas. One side of Reys family lives nearby in Mexico the other half in Texas and Rey fits in on both sides of the border. In Nuevo Penitas he enjoys fooling around with his pals in the barrio; at school hes one of the "A list" kids. As Rey begins to cross the border from childhood into manhood he turns from jokes and games to sense the meaning of work love poverty and grief and what it means to be a proud Chicano-moments that sometimes propel him to show feelings un hombre should never express. Its a new territory where Rey longs to follow the example his hardworking loving father has set for him.