From the Bookshelf of Mock Newbery 2026…

A Thunderous Whisper

Christina Diaz Gonzalez

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Apr 25, 2012 Kathy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical, october-2012

Reviewed on blog - 10/22/12
Gonzalez does a great job of describing her setting. Guernica comes to life, especially the area around Ani's favorite tree, the schoolyard, and the beautiful old theater. Ani's character is also carefully written. She slowly comes out of her shell as she learns about herself. She is not suddenly brave and different but events reveal her inner self and we are taken along with her. Mathias, on the other hand, is more of a sketch of a boy with everything spelled out. We ...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Susan Dunn rated it liked it

Shelves: j-fiction, committee

Historical fiction during a unique time period and setting: Spain during their civil war in the 1930s. A Basque girl and a half Basque/half German boy meet and become friends. Then their small town of Guernica is bombed and both suffer terrible losses. Can they help each other to survive and move on? Based on experiences of the author's relatives. This is one that could easily inspire additional research. It starts off a bit slow, but keep going! ...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Mary Louise Sanchez rated it it was amazing

Shelves: debut-authors, historical-fiction

When the author saw Picasso's famous painting, Guernica, she wanted to learn more about this sad period in Basque history in the 1930s,and about her own Basque heritage. The protagonist Ani believes she is insignificant,and is reminded about this when she's teased by her classmates, who call her the Sardine Girl, and by her own mother who is preoccupied trying to earn a living while her husband, Ani's father, is away fighting in the Spanish Civil War.
Ani meets a new boy, Mathias, who she learns ...more

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