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About The Book

A third grader realizes the importance of her name in this classic story of heritage and self-identity.

For María Isabel Salazar López, the hardest thing about being the new girl in school is that the teacher doesn't call her by her real name. "We already have two Marías in this class," says her teacher. "Why don't we call you Mary instead?"
But María Isabel has been named for her Papá's mother and for Chabela, her beloved Puerto Rican grandmother. Can she find a way to make her teacher see that if she loses her name, she's lost the most important part of herself?

About The Author

Alma Flor Ada, an authority on multicultural and bilingual education, is the recipient of the 2012 Virginia Hamilton Literary Award, and in 2014 she was honored by the Mexican government with the prestigious OHTLI Award. She is the author of numerous award-winning books for young readers, including Dancing Home with Gabriel Zubizarreta, My Name Is María Isabel, Under the Royal Palms (Pura Belpré Medal), Where the Flame Trees Bloom, and The Gold Coin (Christopher Award Medal). She lives in California, and you can visit her at AlmaFlorAda.com.

About The Illustrator

Product Details

  • Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (December 15, 2009)
  • Length: 64 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781439106969
  • Grades: 2 - 5
  • Ages: 7 - 10

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Awards and Honors

  • CBC/NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book

Resources and Downloads

High Resolution Images

More books from this author: Alma Flor Ada

More books from this illustrator: K. Dyble Thompson