Winner of the 2006 Pura Belpre Author Honor Book Award

When Naomi's absent mother resurfaces to claim her, Naomi runs away to Mexico with her great-grandmother and younger brother in search of her father

From the Pura Belpre and Jane Addams Peace Award winning author of Esperanza Rising comes a riveting novel about family and identity, drawn from the warmth, wisdom, and love of Pam Munoz Ryan's own Mexican and Oklahoman heritages. Naomi Soledad Leon Outlaw has had a lot to contend with in her young life: her name for one thing. Then there are her clothes (sewn of polyester by Gram), her difficulty speaking up, and her status among her classmates as "nobody special." But according to Gram's self-prophecies, most problems can be overcome with positive thinking. Luckily, Naomi also has her soap carving, a talent at which she excels. And life at Avocado Acres Trailer Rancho in Lemon Tree, California, with Gram and her little brother, Owen, is happy and peaceful. That is, until their mother reappears after seven years of being gone, stirring up all sorts of questions and challenging Naomi to discover who she really is. Library of Congress Summary. When Naomi's absent mother resurfaces to claim her, Naomi runs away to Mexico with her great-grandmother and younger brother in search of her father

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