My vacation was filled with snacks and naps. In between that it was filled with reading books and three of those were sequels (two volumes that were volume threes and one book was volume two). One of those reads was a more a companion novel, or I should say, a prose poetry story/novel and not a traditional novel. Yet, it does help to have read They Call Me Güero: A Border Kid’s Poems by David Bowles first. This time we follow Joanna, or “Fregona” (a nickname she isn’t crazy about, yet owns) in They Call Her Fregona: A Border Kid’s Poems.
While we focus on a new character, our narrator is the same from book one. The character we focus on is seen through the eyes of this narrator and how she fits into his world. But also, we see how he tries to help her and to fit into hers as he has some privileges she will never have. Such as the luxury of having both his parents legally in the country. The first half of the book deals with friendship and the bully, whereas the second half deals with her fathers immigration status, corruption, the legal system and the bully.
There are a few modern touches that might not have been needed (one character comes out as gay to stop a crush before the girl crushing on him is hurt; another character is non-binary) since it never really goes too deeply (though a few issues are touched on with surface attention). However, they help push the idea of representation such as Guero and Fregona are representing the Hispanic experience in their border community.
Current events play out under the love-adventure of two eighth graders trying to find out who they are, where they fit and the idea of family and friendship and the support they can give.