1993, 64 p. English/Spanish. Translated into Spanish by Gloria de Aragón Adújar
This YA novella is presented in both Spanish and English, each upside down from the other. I read it in Spanish, (and it was just right for an Intermediate Spanish student) but if you flipped it the other way, you could read it in English. An effective format for a language learner: the other language was there if you wanted it, but it was enough of a hassle to turn the book over and find the corresponding page that I generally persevered it trying to work it out for myself. I could then read the English chapter, just to make sure that I had got the gist.
Rosa is a 14 year old illegal immigrant from Mexico City who works as a prostitute. She dreams of becoming a model, but in the meantime she endures her lifestyle, sending money home to her mother in Mexico. Traci is a blonde 14 year old from the suburbs, whose mother is preening her to become head cheerleader, which will launch her into a dazzling career as a beauty queen.
The book presents their stories in alternating chapters, as each of the girls gets ready, then brings them together in a clothing store at a mall. Rosa is hiding from the police, Traci finds her and with a jolt, recognizes them as being sisters – not literally, but as holder of the same dreams which they are powerless to fulfill in a very imperfect world.
A compelling novella, and just right for my Spanish level. The original text was written in English, and it was translated into Spanish by Gloria de Aragón Andújar
The Resident Judge of Port Phillip 