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Victor Sandoval
Author
My Brother’s Keeper
“My Brother’s Keeper” is a coming-of-age story about a young man named Edmundo (Ed) Santos, who is born with cerebral palsy. Ed's father is determined to help him overcome his disability, and he pushes Ed to participate in activities that most people would consider impossible for someone with CP. Ed's mother is more supportive and understanding, and she helps Ed to feel loved and accepted for who he is. The story is set in East Los Angeles in the early 1980s, and it captures the challenges and triumphs of growing up in a working-class Latino family. Ed's experiences with racism, discrimination, and bullying are all too real, but he also finds strength and support in his family and friends.His faith is reflected in his sensitivity and charity to others as dictated in the Bible’s Matthew 25.
Reviews
Sandoval (author of Roll Over, Big Toben) returns to children’s writing with this young adult coming-of-age novel following young runner, Eddie Santos, born with his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck and diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth. “All my life I’ve noticed that people, people I know, people I don’t know, seem to always have some secret among themselves that they don’t share with me” he writes; even so, Eddie’s father, who Eddie says “protected me and wanted to reshape me” constantly fights for him to overcome his disability and fit into the world around him.

Readers will be moved by Eddie’s first-person narration transporting them into his life, thoughts, and emotions as he processes his experiences and how they relate to the people around him. He is movingly honest, describing his father’s determination that he’s able to keep up with his peers in every way, played out in such scenes as Eddie being forced into a boxing ring at a local gym to learn how to defend himself against an experienced fighter. Despite those moments, and the misunderstandings that often pop up during his interactions with others, Eddie harbors a deep sense of the love surrounding him, echoing throughout that his family and friends just want him to “try my best.” When he’s placed in public school—and exposed to racist, ableist peers—he quickly finds comfort in the cross-country team, his school friends Jimmy and Sandra, and a mysterious character called El Indio, who lives nearby Eddie and regales him with stories of his Raramuri ancestors.

Middle grade readers will find Eddie’s straightforward self-exploration rich with emotional detail and candid observations. His curiosity and desire to find a safe, positive place in the world is infectious, and his message—that there is nothing more special than being loved for who you are—inspires as much as it comforts.

Takeaway: Moving story of a boy with cerebral palsy finding his voice.

Comparable Titles: Jamie Sumner’s Roll with It, R.J. Palacio’s Wonder.

Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: B

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