This story in verse follows Roberto Alvarez, a young boy who loves attending Lemon Grove Grammar School and living in the sea of lemon trees that are synonymous with his community. However, when the school board decides to segregate the school and force all the children with Mexican heritage to accept a lesser education, Roberto’s life is turned upside down.
The year is 1931. Roberto Alvarez works hard and enjoys his classes at Lemon Grove Grammar School in California. But one day, it all comes crashing down.
The school board decides to segregate the school and offer the students with Mexican heritage an inferior education. Roberto’s parents have always said he’s the family’s future, but how can he be the future if he can’t learn and achieve in the classroom?
Even though they know it will be costly, Roberto’s parents rally the community to fight back. They form the Comité de Vecinos de Lemon Grove and meet with the Mexican consulate to find lawyers and take the school board to court.
As a model student, Roberto is chosen to be the lead codefendant in the case. He can feel the pressure building. His friend’s family has been deported, and the community is being threatened with further repercussions. Roberto doesn’t know if he can bear the weight of the case and testify in court. But with his community by his side, he knows he has to try—for a better future.
Roberto’s family are devout Catholics. Church gatherings, priests and holy days are mentioned. Roberto plays Joseph in a church Nativity play. Roberto prays before testifying in court.
None.
Roberto’s parents are hardworking and attentive. They fight for their children’s future. Roberto has a large, supportive community at church and in his neighborhood.
There is a man in the gray suit who is threatening and cruel. Teachers largely stay silent about the decision to segregate schools.
Characters tell stories of fleeing Mexico during the revolution between 1910 and 1920. One child’s father was killed in the Mexican Revolution.
Racism is described throughout the book. People discuss raids in Oklahoma and the Ku Klux Klan. Roberto also reads a description of a raid in Los Angeles. Roberto gets called a “greaser,” “wetback” and “beaner.”
Roberto mentions that one woman says some bad words to the threatening man in the gray suit.
None.
Read Genesis 1:27 and Galatians 3:28. Why was segregating the school wrong?
Do you have big goals and dreams? What are they?
Have you ever stood up for something you believe in? What happened? Do you wish you had done anything differently?
A Sea of Lemon Trees offers a compelling story based on a little-known court case that overturned segregation in a town decades before Brown v. Board of Education. Author Maria Dolores Aguila paints the portrait of a vibrant community ready to work hard and fight for their future.
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Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not necessarily their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.
Rachel Pfeiffer serves as Editor of Focus on the Family Clubhouse magazine, where she acquires and crafts stories to entertain and disciple children. She graduated from Taylor University with a degree in professional writing and Moody Theological Seminary with an MA in Biblical Studies. When she’s not curled up with a good book, she can often be found hiking the beautiful Colorado Rockies.
