Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna

Written by Alda P. Dobbs

Narrated by Ana Osorio

A riveting tale of one girl’s dangerous journey to cross the U.S. border, based on a true story.

It is 1913, and twelve-year-old Petra Luna’s mamá has died while the revolution rages in Mexico. Before her papá is dragged away by soldiers, Petra vows to him that she will care for the family she has left—her abuelita, her little sister, Amelia,
and her baby brother, Luisito—until they can be reunited. They flee north through the unforgiving desert as their town burns, searching for safe harbor in a world that offers none.

Each night when Petra closes her eyes, she holds her dreams close, especially her long-held desire to learn to read. Abuelita calls these barefoot dreams: “They’re like us barefoot peasants and indios—they’re not meant to go far.” But Petra
refuses to listen. Through battlefields and deserts, hunger and fear, Petra will stop at nothing to keep her family safe and lead them to a better life across the U.S. border—a life where her barefoot dreams could finally become reality.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 19, 2021
• ISBN: 9781705045091

Alda P. Dobbs

Alda P. Dobbs is as passionate about connecting children to their past, their communities, and nature as she is about writing. Alda lives with her husband and two children outside Houston, Texas.

Reviews for Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna

[bookconcierge · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Set during the Mexican Revolution of 1913, this novel is based on the author’s family history. When he was forcibly taken by federal troops to join the war, thirteen-year-old Petra promised her father that she would keep the family together until they could be reunited. Now those same Federales have burned her village and she, her grandmother, younger sister, Amelia, and baby brother, Luisito, must flee across the desert. This is a marvelous story of courage in the face of adversity, easily enjoyed by middle-school children as well as adults. Petra is a wonderful character: strong, intelligent, observant, loyal, resourceful and a born leader. She is NOT going to be one of the women her grandmother insists she is destined to become: subservient, obedient, quiet, content to be at home caring for her husband and children. No, Petra has bigger dreams. She will learn to read and to care for herself. On their dangerous trek towards the promised safety of the “other side” (i.e. the United States), Petra encounters a few people who help her and who nourish her dreams. She also learns from her grandmother’s experience, and always keeps in mind her promise to her father. Petra carries her most treasured possession with her: a lump of coal her father brought her from the mine he worked. He explained how diamonds are formed by the pressure exerted on such black rocks. Petra contemplates how the pressures she is enduring are also forming her strong character. Like her rock, she is a “baby diamond” who will one day sparkle and shine. Dobbs includes notes about how her own great-grandmother related her story of fleeing their village for the safety of the United States. Those stories sparked curiosity and Dobbs went searching for confirming details in recorded news accounts of the day. She includes a timeline of Mexican history leading to the critical events depicted in the book.

[jennybeast · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic journey set during the start of the Mexican Revolution. Very vivid depictions of poverty, the massacre of towns, the hardship of fleeing across deserts contrast with the strengths that Petra carries inside her and nature's lessons that he Abuela shares. An incredible history that is not well know in the United States -- and I'm talking both about the Revolution itself, and the heritage of Petra's meztizo ancestors. A riveting story set in a harsh and difficult time. Loved that there were women soldiers, that Pancho Villa's revolutionaries were actively helping anyone who came to them, that there's an appreciation for the beauty of even simple foods. Loved that it was based on family stories.