Efrén Nava’s Amá is his Superwoman or Soperwoman, named after the delicious Mexican sopes his mother often prepares. Both Amá and Apá work hard all day to provide for the family, making sure Efrén and his younger siblings Max and Mía feel safe and loved.
But Efrén worries about his parents; although he’s American-born, his parents are undocumented. His worst nightmare comes true one day when Amá doesn’t return from work and is deported across the border to Tijuana, México.
Now more than ever, Efrén must channel his inner Soperboy to help take care of and try to reunite his family.
Ignite curiosity and empathy with this captivating book for key stage 2 that encourages understanding and compassion, perfect for sparking discussions.
Genre: family, identity, bravery
Themes: family, friendship, separation, uncertainty, fear, leadership, and resilience
Age: 9-10 years old
Activities
1. Inference and illustration. Draw a picture of the primary setting of the story and write two sentences to describe the scene.
2. Create a social media profile for Efren and create 3-5 ‘posts’ that retell a part of the story.
3. Choose a significant part of the story and write a journal entry from the perspective of one of the characters involved.
4. Create a Venn diagram to compare and contrast two characters’ points of view at a particular part of the story.
5. Get learners to choose a social issue that they care deeply about and write a plan on how to change it. How does it affect them, their friends or family? Why is the issue important to them? What is something they can commit to doing to make a difference?