Walls of Cartagena Book

Another little story with a big punch! There are so many things that I love about this book but just to name a few: opening the reader's eyes to the slave trade and what humans did to one another; introducing the topic of the Inquisition to younger readers; talking about Don Quixote in such a way that I even want to read it (yes, another secret is out - when required to read Don Quixote in high school, I faked it).

This story centers around young Calepino, a 13 year old boy who, while born to a a slave, was taken in by a wealthy woman after the death of his mother. After his 13th birthday, Calepino is sent to work with Father Pedro, a devout priest who is on a mission to ease the suffering of newly arrived African slaves. It's there that Calepiino meets Dr. Lopez, Mara, and Tomi the people who will change Calepino's life forever.


I would love to see this paired with The Surrender Tree to discuss Central/South American history or even to talk about what can happen when people stand up for what is right. High School classes could take Walls of Cartegena, The Surrender Tree, Out of Bounds (by Beverly Naidoo) and The Hemingway Book Club of Kosovo and talk about Human Rights.