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Class Handouts:
Each chapter has some questions to go along with it...

• Question Sheet #1, over chapters 1-2
• Question Sheet #2, over chapters 3-6
• Question Sheet #3, over chapters 7-8
• Question Sheet #4, over chapters 9-13

Internet Resources:

• A teacher in Germany named Ingrid Kerkhoff has put up a simple page about Lupita Mañana, with some excerpts, key scenes, and characters.
• Here's a little tribute to Patricia Beatty, writer of historical fiction, written by a librarian.
• When her husband passed away in 1975, Patricia Beatty donated money to establish an award in his memory to honor "the author of a distinguished book for children or young adults that best promotes an awareness of California and its people"; when she herself died in 1991, the name of the award was changed to The John and Patricia Beatty Award, given by the California Library Association.

Places:

• Visit Ensenada, Mexico via MexOnline.
• The busiest border crossing point in the world? It's Tijuana (formerly Tia Juana) in Mexico, and there is more to it than the party-and-noise reputation it has developed.
• Another real town used as a setting in the novel is Indio, California, "the oldest city in the Coachella Valley," (and home to the annual Indio International Tamale Festival!) presented here by its Chamber of Commerce.
• The book ends in Colton, California, established at Colton Crossing, one of the busiest railroad crossings in the U.S.

Migrant Farm Workers and Families:

• Lupita and her brother do not really end up as "migrant workers," since they stay in one place and are taken out to fields to work. However, their situation is related to that of migrant farm workers and families all over the United States who travel across the country, following the harvest season of crops, often living in terrible conditions, receiving little or no education, living day to day.
• Public Broadcasting in the U.S. has a page on Migrant Child Labor which includes three essays written by teen farm workers (PDF documents).
• Also, read the stories of Ezequil, Cynthia, and Iselda, three teen migrant workers in the U.S.
• "Going to the grocery store is an experience most Americans don't think about much," according to this overview of migrant farm workers in the U.S. "You expect a fresh produce section, and a wide variety of fresh and canned fruits and vegetables to choose from. But what you may not know is that the availability of these goods at the grocery store depends on a complex cycle of agricultural production and distribution. At the heart of this cycle is a little-known but vitally important individual: The migrant farm worker."

Immigration Sites on the Net:

• A good stop for some quick facts is "Basic Facts About Immigration" from the Affirmative Action and Diversity Project. In fact, all of their Immigration Debate Resources are good articles to read.
• The Wikipedia article on "Illegal Immigration to the United States" has some good background and statistics on the topic.
• On Scholastic's "Immigration" page, you can read the stories of immigrants to the U.S. from different times (including three kids who recently arrived in the U.S. from India, Vietnam, and Kenya).

Organizations and Sites Against Illegal Immigrants and Immigration:

• The Federation for American Immigration Reform tells us that "Illegal Immigration Is A Crime!"
• A site called Immigration Counters claims to give real-time numbers related to illegal immigration into the U.S. They say they're "dedicated to the majority of citizens concerned about how their borders and immigration laws have been so poorly managed. It's not about selfishly protecting the country at the exclusion of anyone new, it's about being a nation of laws, the same laws for everyone and this has nothing to do with racism." What do you think?
• The Free Republic, "a conservative news forum," has a page dedicated to what they call "Myths and Half-Truths About Illegal Immigration".

Organizations and Sites Fighting For Immigrant Rights and Respect:

• Here is a nice file (it's a PDF file) called "Top Ten Immigration Myths and Facts". A similar page is ImmigrationProf's blog called "Myths v. Facts on Immigration".
• The National Council of La Raza "works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans." They have a general page on immigration, a Q&A on "Twenty of the Most Frequently Asked Questions About Hispanics in the U.S."
• Here is a PDF file of an article called "A Change of Heart on Guest Workers," by Janet Murguía, published originally in the Washington Post, and provided from the NCLR.

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