No Place

I received a copy of this book at the MayDay parade in Minneapolis in 2007, and I finally read it last winter. It brought tears to my eyes - the idea that a group of children could make such a profound change in their own community even while facing very real setbacks from their family and community is a message more people of all ages need to know about. Citizens taking control of their communities and making them places for themselves and their families to live is becoming increasingly important, and this book in its way tells you how, and tells you the emotional situations you're likely to encounter while doing it.

As a teenager in a small town in suburban Minnesota, a novel that portrays life for a Hispanic-American in LosAngeles, opens my eyes to the "outside world", so to speak. It really influenced me, in the sense that, like Arturo Morales, the young boy, I am looked upon as small and insignificant. Another factor against Arturo and his aspiring friends is the fact that he is hispanic. As the story progresses, Arturo realizes that he has the power and courage to make a difference! By reading this book, I too realize that the people who look at me as insignificant, are totally wrong. I can make a positive impact on lives if I set my mind to it. This is a wonderful book that will open the eyes of many teens! Haugaard does a wonderful inspiring job in her novel, No Place!