The Street Belongs to Us

In an engaging story of the thrill of childhood summers and the delights of imagination, author Karleen Pendleton Jiménez digs deep into the bittersweet experience of growing up.

When the street in their 1984 LA neighbourhood is torn up for construction, tomboy Alex and her best friend, Wolf, seize the opportunity to create a neighbourhood battleground and a world of imagination. Alex, who would rather wear her hair short and her brother’s hand-me-downs, yearns for her father who disappeared three years ago. Wolf is a troubled kid who has worn the same soldier’s uniform since his mom died. But they push their worries aside in the excitement of digging holes and planning battle strategies in a gleeful war with neighbourhood kids.
After they build their headquarters in a deep trench, Alex’s Nana warns them that some things should stay buried. Nana has Alzheimer’s disease, but she also has the wisdom that comes with surviving the Mexican Revolution, the Spanish flu and immigration. Caught up in their summer of joy, Alex and Wolf ignore her warning and dig up more than they had expected.

Lively and expressive illustrations by Gabriela Godoy throughout the book capture the energy of youthful summers when adventures lie around every corner.

Jiménez writes with a wonderful authenticity of voice. The young protagonists speak in natural dialogue and show real priorities of children – fun, physical activity, friendship and belonging – and their determination to follow their adventurous hearts feels real. Beyond the daily excitement of street battle, however, both Alex and Wolf explore serious issues.

Alex is maturing. Fears about her changing body and her abhorrence of anything “girl” create an opportunity to examine gender identity. When she finally shares her worries with her friend, Wolf accepts her for who she is: “I don’t think a chest growing big automatically makes you a woman. It must be up to you. If you decide to be a guy, then your chest, whatever it looks like, will be a guy’s chest because it’s yours.” (p. 189)

In spite of his tough-guy soldier persona, Wolf is lost in grief at the death of his mother and feels left out when his father finds another woman. Both he and Alex must learn what real love looks like before they can move past loss.

Woven throughout the novel are Nana’s stories from history that provide a window into Mexican-American culture and experience. And, in spite of his trouble at school, Wolf’s thirst for knowledge leads him to public libraries where he gobbles up facts and shares them with Alex in amusing and sometimes inappropriate situations.

However, the novel is anything but didactic. The Street Belongs to Us is delightfully entertaining and taps into how it feels to be young. Yet, it also has hidden depths. Readers, as well as characters, find joy in what happens on Muscatel Street, but they will dig beneath the surface to find truths about their world, themselves, and those they love.