Daughter of Madrugada
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Book Overview
As the only daughter in the de Haro family, the time has come for 13-year-old Cesa to assume the responsibilities of a woman. But Cesa isn't interested in the kitchen. She loves the landthe vast and beautiful Rancho del Valle de la Madrugada, the Ranch of the Valley of the Dawn, where dayand all lifebegins and ends. This is where Cesa was born, the only home she has ever known, and the place where her mother died eight years ago. The ranch is Cesa's world. The world beyond, though, is changing. Mexico has lost the 1846 war with the United States, and Upper California now belongs to the Americans. Each day more of them arrive in California, hungry for gold and for land. As her family's way of life is threatened, Cesa discovers that there's more to being a woman than she thoughtand the sacrifice it requires may be more than she's willing to make.
Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:0385327196
ISBN13:9780385327190
Release Date:May 2002
Publisher:Delacorte Press
Length:162 Pages
Weight:0.75 lbs.
Dimensions:0.7" x 5.4" x 8.6"
Age Range:10 to 12 years
Grade Range:Grades 5 to 7
Customer Reviews
3 ratings
A different view of history
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
This is a part of California history they never taught us in school. Frances Wood takes her young readers to a time, a place and a culture they might otherwise have missed completely. Cesa is the spunky daughter in an aristocratic Mexican family in what will become California, USA. She's grown up in a world of wealth and privilege, fully expecting her life to remain that way. She learns otherwise when the rude, smelly Americans show up, with golden expectations of their own. Madrugada means dawn -- and that's what this is, the dawn of a new era in California, in Mexico, and in the life of this very appealing heroine. The story will tug your heart.
Characters You Care About!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
What a compelling read this was! Cessa, the thirteen-year old protagonist, is a feisty, engaging character on the cusp of womanhood and resisting it mightily. The Gold Rush era and the Mexican-American War provide a thrilling backdrop to this story of change, both natural and forced. Buy this book today, and settle back for a rich, lyrical read that rewards readers of any age. And whatever you do, don't miss the scene with the Grizzly Bear!
Californio Girl
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
Thirteen-year-old Cesa de Haro lives and breathes the vast and beautiful Rancho del Valle de la Madrugada where she lives grandly with her father, brothers, grandmother and their many servants. Her mother has died eight years before and Cesa has since grown up as a proud, pampered and head-strong child who both chafes at the limitations imposed on women in her culture and experiences her budding sexuality for the first time.Mexico has lost the war of 1846 to the United States and history soon overshadows Cesa's personal concerns. Her beloved California now belongs now to the crass Americanos who invade her once-secure Rancho. greedy for land, gold and contemptuous of Cesa, her people and the culture of all Californios. A strong and moving coming of age story with a defiant Californio heroine who discovers her interior power as her outer world changes forever.
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