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Journal of Language and Literacy Education Vol. 16 Issue 2—Spring

2021 2020

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Review of The Liars of Mariposa Island

Written by Jennifer Mathieu

Educator Reviewer: Rhonda Pawlik

High School Teacher, Newton, NC

Mathieu, J. (2019). The liars of Mariposa Island. Roaring Book Press.

ISBN: 9781250311320

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Journal of Language and Literacy Education Vol. 17 Issue 1—Spring 2021

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Adult Review: Rhonda Pawlik

The story begins in the perspective of Elena

Finney, a 16 year-old living with her mom

and brother on Mariposa Island, Texas. The

setting is the summer of 1986 and Elena has

to sneak around just to go out with

friends. Elena opens up about how her

brother Joaquin gets into explosive

arguments with Mami (the name they call

their mother). Elena says "Better to ignore

her, hide from her. Agree with her even if

you don't." As she knows how to survive her

Mami. The reader can infer some type of

abuse is happening and Mami must be

abusing alcohol. Elena discusses a

babysitting job she has with the Callahans

every summer and her brother doesn't like

it. Elena uses this babysitting job to sneak

out with a boy she meets at the beach and

to visit her friends. Elena feels trapped at

home and must lie just to be able to get out

of the house like a normal teenager should

do.

The next section of the book takes you back

to a perfect life of Caridad in Miramar,

Havana Cuba during 1957 as a teenager.

You learn that Mami was Caridad and

throughout the book you realize that Mami

lives in the past and can't appreciate the

present. You also learn more about Joaquin,

the brother of Elena that just graduated from

high school with his dream to leave

Mariposa Island for California to find his

dad. He meets a girl which keeps him on

Mariposa Island a little longer than what he

wants.

Throughout the book you realize how

abusive Mami is to her children and accept

Elena and Joaquin's lies just to survive each

day. The book stays true to the experiences

of teenagers in 1986 which is very similar to

today.

The reader will get easily attached to Elena

and Joaquin and want them to escape the

abuse of Mami. The reader only knows

Mami as a young teenager and it is hard to

accept her due to how she treats her

children. The plot has many twists and turns

which keeps your interest. I feel the book is

appropriate for 15 years of age or older as

alcoholism, abuse, drugs and sexual content

are issues throughout the book. I highly

recommend the book as the characters are

well developed; the twists and turns keep

your interest and the character development

entices the reader to feel a part of the story.

I feel this book is important for an increased

awareness of what some children go through

and children who are reading may be

experiencing similar abuse and realize that it

isn't right. This book can spark a lot of

conversation and would be a perfect book for

a book club to discuss.