Set in 1981 Guatemala, a lyrical debut novel tells the powerful tale
of a boy who must decide what it means to be a man during a time of
war.
Carlos knows that when the soldiers arrive with warnings about the
Communist rebels, it is time to be a man and defend the village, keep
everyone safe. But Mama tells him not yet--he's still her quiet
moonfaced boy. The soldiers laugh at the villagers, and before they move
on, a neighbor is found dangling from a tree, a sign on his neck:
Communist. Mama tells Carlos to run and hide, then try to find her....
Numb and alone, he must join a band of guerillas as they trek to the top
of the mountain where Carlos's abuela lives. Will he be in time, and
brave enough, to warn them about the soldiers? What will he do then? A
novel in verse inspired by actual events during Guatemala's civil war,
Caminar is the moving story of a boy who loses nearly everything before
discovering who he is.