9 Kilometers (Stories from Latin America)

by Claudio Aguilera (Author) Gabriela Lyon (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

A memorable, compelling story about the perseverance of a child and the human right to education.

The sky is still dark when a young boy leaves home for school. He has a long path ahead: nine kilometers--over five-and-a-half miles--through the mountains and rain forests of Chile. But the boy doesn't mind. While he walks, he can count butterflies and lizards, and he can think about where the 15,000 steps he takes every morning could lead. Nine kilometers could bring the boy across ninety soccer fields, up the world's ten largest buildings, or into a classroom at last . . .

Set against the lush backdrop of southern Chile, this book features one of the many children around the world who travel long distances in order to go to school. After the story, thoughtfully illustrated back matter explores the unique birds of Chile and the courage of similar students' journeys in other countries. Striking and timely, 9 Kilometers will open lasting conversations about social inequalities, the value of learning, and the resilience of those who push past obstacles toward a better future.

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$18.99

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Kirkus Reviews

Starred Review
A brilliantly illustrated account of an arduous—yet deeply rewarding—journey.

Publishers Weekly

Starred Review

Long before the sun rises, a nameless Chilean child starts walking nine kilometers to school, mindful en route of the activity around them. Sliding beneath barbed wire, navigating forest and field, and traveling over water by cable ferry, the narrator likes "to walk and count," keeping track of butterflies or lizards. Throughout, Aguilera's rhythmic lines note the distance in metric terms and via different animals' speeds, and envision the distance in terms of buildings and aircraft carriers. Sensorial phrases speak to the child's varying experiences of the journey: "There are days when 9 kilometers feels like a stone inside a worn-out shoe. Other days, however, the steps feel as sweet as a handful of blackberries or a ripe apple, and they pass as quickly as a shadow." Lyon's saturated, painterly illustrations capture the text's thoughtful mood, visualizing the walk--and the antics of various animal and bird species--across landscapes both wide-lens and zoomed-in. Contemplating, per an end note, "the construction of a society in which education is a right and not a privilege," this is a narrative to encounter again and again. An opening note defines imperial and metric units; back matter details various children's long walks to school and describes birds of southern Chile. Ages 5-9. (Feb.)

Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780802856005
Lexile Measure
560
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
Publication date
February 20, 2023
Series
Stories from Latin America
BISAC categories
JUV035000 - Juvenile Fiction | School & Education
JUV039220 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Values & Virtues
JUV030040 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | Caribbean & Latin America
JUV039290 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Activism & Social Justice
Library of Congress categories
Picture books
Walking
Chile
Measurement
Distances

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