Overview

Hispanic history and heritage inspire the story of Salvador (14) in Twisted Cross: Adventure to the New World. Not every teen comes from an ideal home or enjoys the support of a loving family. This has always been true but seldom written about in teen literature. When adult readers say Salvador is not a 'good boy' or too likable, the author defends him saying, Who would be, given his circumstances? He is the character behind the headlines about abuse and abandonment. How many students have this experience? How many of them never find themselves in the books they are assigned to read? Salvador finds the strength to go forward, to support his friends, work, travel, even learn to read and help a community survive. Yes, Twisted Cross is a tough story about a rough kid that some readers never expect to like. Salvador and his friend Blas are dragooned from an 18th-century prison in Cadiz, Spain (1795), sent to colonial Mexico, and later assigned to support the Father Serra expedition to establish the California Missions. Salvador tangles with padres and pirates on his journey to discover the New World -- and himself.Twisted Cross, a historic adventure-themed story, is book one in the Mission Bells trilogy for YA readers.The book addresses Latino culture and the colonial development of the California coast.Book Two, in the Mission Bells series, The Laredo School for Young Ladies, features the lives of young Mexican, Spanish and indigenous California girls (including Salvador's daughter) who are aggressively courted by land-hungry Yankees and rough-cut fur traders in the Spanish colony. Daughters from the ranches are sent for refinement to the anglophile Laredo School in Texas during the brief Mexican rule preceding U.S. annexation and statehood (TX 1845/CA 1850).Book Three, Broken Promises, reveals the schemes perpetrated by the U.S. government and savvy industrialists to gain an advantage during the California gold rush, the Mexican-American War and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) that reversed established land grants like those held by Salvador Tenorio.

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9780967330006

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Salvador, a lusty youngster, learns about the world quickly. The female characters are vividly drawn, especially Rosa in Mazatlan. The monks are not to be trusted, especially the Bishop, who fears the natives and wants to destroy their history, yet, Brother David, becomes an important figure in Sal's life. Dr. Geoff Aggeler, Award-winning novelist, biographer, critic and veteran writing teacher.

This action-packed story follows a clever young Spaniard on a historic journey from his homeland to Mexico and California. Jaded by his early experiences with the clergy, Sal is in it for himself even as he tags along on expeditions to establish missions. He glimpses the rapidly disintegrating cultures of the native people... Throughout the book, Sal struggles with his impulses toward corruption, but key relationships he makes along the way often steer his actions away from mischief. But not always. Twisted Cross weaves together historical figures and events with a sobering frankness that transports readers to an era too often romanticized. Claudia Armann, Author ' Salvador, a lusty youngster, learns about the world quickly. The female characters are vividly drawn, especially Rosa in Mazatlan. The monks are not to be trusted, especially the Bishop, who fears the natives and wants to destroy their history, yet, Brother David, becomes an important figure in Sal's life. Dr. Geoff Aggeler, Award-winning novelist, biographer, critic and veteran writing teacher.

Author Information

Dr. Perez Ferguson is a cross-cultural educator and consultant. Her work in advocacy and promotion of under-represented communities earned her the 2014 Lacayo Lifetime Achievement Award from the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute. Visiting Lecturer, Council for Independent Colleges.

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