Plus, receive recommendations and exclusive offers on all of your favorite books and authors from Simon & Schuster.
Table of Contents
About The Book
From the author of the award-winning The Youngest Marcher comes a picture book about the true story of Alfredo Lopez, an undocumented boy involved in a landmark Supreme Court case that still ensures children’s right to education today.
Alfredo Lopez has so many questions before starting second grade! Will his friends be in his class? Will his teacher speak Spanish? But then his parents tell him that he has to stay home, and Alfredo’s questions change. Why can’t he go to school with the other kids? And why is his family going to the courthouse?
In 1977, the school district of Tyler, Texas, informed parents that, unless they could provide proof of citizenship, they would have to pay for their children to attend public school. Four undocumented families fought back in a legal battle that went all the way to the Supreme Court. Alfredo was one of the students involved in Plyler v. Doe, which made a difference for children all over the country for years to come.
Alfredo Lopez has so many questions before starting second grade! Will his friends be in his class? Will his teacher speak Spanish? But then his parents tell him that he has to stay home, and Alfredo’s questions change. Why can’t he go to school with the other kids? And why is his family going to the courthouse?
In 1977, the school district of Tyler, Texas, informed parents that, unless they could provide proof of citizenship, they would have to pay for their children to attend public school. Four undocumented families fought back in a legal battle that went all the way to the Supreme Court. Alfredo was one of the students involved in Plyler v. Doe, which made a difference for children all over the country for years to come.
Reading Group Guide
Get a FREE ebook by joining our mailing list today! Plus, receive recommendations for your next Book Club read.
By clicking 'Sign me up', I consent to Simon & Schuster sending me email offers and updates, including offers for a free eBook. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time. Any offer for an eBook may be subject to exclusions, terms, conditions, and registration with our fulfillment partners. We collect and use your information in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Free ebook offer available to NEW CA subscribers only. Offer redeemable at Simon & Schuster's ebook fulfillment partner. Must redeem within 90 days. See the full terms and conditions.
This is a sample of reading and discussion questions from a curriculum guide, available for free download in the Resources and Downloads tab.
Discussion Questions
1. What news did Alfredo learn when school started? How did he feel about the news? How did he show his feelings?
2. What was Alfredo's life like when he was living with his parents in Mexico?
3. Why did Alfredo’s parents decide to go to Texas? How do you think they felt? How can you tell? Do you think they made the right decision? Why? How did Alfredo’s life change after his parents left and he was living with his grandparents?
4. When Alfredo asked his abuela when his parents would return, what life was like in the United States, and whether he could go there, she did not answer. When Alfredo asked questions about going to school, his amá did not answer. When Alfredo asked his parents why they were worried about having to return to Mexico, they did not answer. Why do you think these adults did not answer his questions? Was that the right thing to do? Why?
5. How did Alfredo finally get to Texas? When he first arrived in Texas, how was his life different from his life in Mexico? Why did it seem to him that Texas was a world of wonders?
6. What did a new state law in Texas decree (order)? How did this law affect Alfredo? What did Amá and Apá think of the law? What did they decide to do about it? What risks did they take?
7. What does “unconstitutional” mean? What is the US Constitution? What is an amendment? What does the Fourteenth Amendment say?
8. When the case came before Judge William Wayne Justice, what did the family’s lawyer, Peter, say to show the judge that the Texas law was unconstitutional? What did he say about fairness? What was his argument about the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution? Are his arguments convincing to you? Were they convincing to the judge? Why or why not?
9. What did the school district’s lawyer, John, argue? What did he say about the Fourteenth Amendment? Were his arguments convincing to the judge? Are they convincing to you? Why or why not?
10. When Alfredo returns to school in Tyler, Texas, how do the words and illustrations show you how Alfredo feels to be back in school?
For many more discussion questions and extension activities based on Free to Learn: How Alfredo Lopez Fought for the Right to Go to School by Cynthia Levinson, check out the Curriculum Guide below in the Resources and Downloads tab.
Discussion Questions
1. What news did Alfredo learn when school started? How did he feel about the news? How did he show his feelings?
2. What was Alfredo's life like when he was living with his parents in Mexico?
3. Why did Alfredo’s parents decide to go to Texas? How do you think they felt? How can you tell? Do you think they made the right decision? Why? How did Alfredo’s life change after his parents left and he was living with his grandparents?
4. When Alfredo asked his abuela when his parents would return, what life was like in the United States, and whether he could go there, she did not answer. When Alfredo asked questions about going to school, his amá did not answer. When Alfredo asked his parents why they were worried about having to return to Mexico, they did not answer. Why do you think these adults did not answer his questions? Was that the right thing to do? Why?
5. How did Alfredo finally get to Texas? When he first arrived in Texas, how was his life different from his life in Mexico? Why did it seem to him that Texas was a world of wonders?
6. What did a new state law in Texas decree (order)? How did this law affect Alfredo? What did Amá and Apá think of the law? What did they decide to do about it? What risks did they take?
7. What does “unconstitutional” mean? What is the US Constitution? What is an amendment? What does the Fourteenth Amendment say?
8. When the case came before Judge William Wayne Justice, what did the family’s lawyer, Peter, say to show the judge that the Texas law was unconstitutional? What did he say about fairness? What was his argument about the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution? Are his arguments convincing to you? Were they convincing to the judge? Why or why not?
9. What did the school district’s lawyer, John, argue? What did he say about the Fourteenth Amendment? Were his arguments convincing to the judge? Are they convincing to you? Why or why not?
10. When Alfredo returns to school in Tyler, Texas, how do the words and illustrations show you how Alfredo feels to be back in school?
For many more discussion questions and extension activities based on Free to Learn: How Alfredo Lopez Fought for the Right to Go to School by Cynthia Levinson, check out the Curriculum Guide below in the Resources and Downloads tab.
About The Author
Photograph (c) Sam Bond Photography
Cynthia Levinson is the author of nonfiction books for young readers that focus on social justice, including The Youngest Marcher, The People’s Painter, and Fault Lines in the Constitution. Her books have received the Sibert Medal, the Carter G. Woodson Book Award, the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, and numerous other honors. She has two daughters, two sons-in-law, four grandchildren, and two grand-dogs—all of whom are thoroughly splendid. Cynthia and her husband divide their time between Austin and Boston, which, helpfully, rhyme, in case she gets lost.
About The Illustrator
Mirelle Ortega is a Mexican writer and artist based in Los Angeles. She is the author-illustrator of Magic: Once Upon a Faraway Land, a Pura Belpré Honor Book, and the illustrator of several books, including Small Room, Big Dreams: The Journey of Julián and Joaquin Castro by Monica Brown and Free to Learn by Cynthia Levinson. Mirelle has a BFA in digital art and 3D animation from the Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico and an MFA from Academy of Art University in San Francisco.
Product Details
- Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (April 2, 2024)
- Length: 48 pages
- ISBN13: 9781665904278
- Ages: 4 - 8
Browse Related Books
Raves and Reviews
★ "The simple language, accessible summations of both sides' legal arguments, and engaging illustrations, especially those portraying characters with sad and worried expressions, effectively capture Alfredo's viewpoint. The narrative effortlessly conveys Alfredo's longing to be at school and his parents' desperate hope for a better life for their family. . . a well-documented, age-appropriate introduction to a very emotional, divisive, and still-controversial subject."
– Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
"This fictionalized account of real events conveys the struggles of Alfredo’s family, both in Mexico and in the United States, through the compelling story and Ortega’s captivating digital illustrations. These vividly capture the emotions of both the family and the friends, and heartbreakingly paint Alfredo as an invisible participant while he imagines what his first day of school will be like. . . A meaningful and moving story."
– School Library Journal
"A tribute to a courageous family of undocumented immigrants who went to court to secure their child’s right to a free public education. . . . Frank and sympathetic in presenting a lesser-known landmark in the struggle for human rights."
– Kirkus Reviews
"A family works to ensure their son can attend school in the U.S. in this fictionalized account of a 1970s educational battle to secure education for undocumented students in a Texas district . . . In Ortega’s digital illustrations, inviting schoolroom images give way to the subdued brown palette of an intimidating courtroom setting."
– Publishers Weekly
Awards and Honors
- CBC/NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book
- Kansas NEA Reading Circle List Intermediate Title
- BRLA Southwest Book Award
- Crown Award (TX)
- Massachusetts Book Award
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
-
Book Cover Image (jpg): Free to Learn
Hardcover 9781665904278
-
Author Photo (jpg): Cynthia Levinson Photograph (c) Sam Bond Photography(0.1 MB)
Any use of an author photo must include its respective photo credit
