Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna

A coup takes place, and the president of Mexico, the hope of the country, is executed. Petra Luna's father is conscripted into the Mexican military, the federales, shortly after Petra's mother dies in childbirth. Petra makes a promise to her father that she would take care of her younger brother and sister and her grandmother, and this is a promise she intends to keep. Then the federales sweep into her village and destroy her town, and Petra must lead her family to safety.

This book, based on the true story of the author's great-grandmother, is a story of danger and courage, of adventure and terror, and I kept reading along, and reading along, curious and fearful to find out what happens next.

I'm looking forward to the sequel to the story, The Other Side of the River, set to be published in September.