Life in Macun
This traditional green tropical fruit gives Esmeralda her nickname, "Negrita," and opens the memoir with a lesson on how to properly eat it.
What is guava
Esmeralda's mother moves the family to this New York City borough for medical care: 🗽 (Options: Brooklyn / Manhattan)
Brooklyn
This island setting where Esmeralda grows up is a territory of the United States:
Puerto Rico
Esmeralda’s mother, who works hard to provide for her many children, goes by this name: 👩👧👦
Mami
Before moving to the U.S., Esmeralda attends elementary school in this Puerto Rican town:
Macun
Esmeralda's family moves to this rural barrio in Puerto Rico, living in a tin-roofed home.
What is Macún?
Esmeralda’s father works long hours in this type of job: 🔨🏠
What is a builder / carpenter?
Esmeralda’s family speaks this language at home in Macún:
Spanish
Esmeralda’s father, who loves poetry and nature, goes by this name
Papi/Pablo or Don Luis
When Esmeralda first starts school in Brooklyn, she feels frustrated because she cannot ________ with her teachers: 🗣️❓
Communicate in English
Negrita's father is proud to be a jíbaro, which means a traditional Puerto Rican ________.
What is a country folk / farmer?
: In New York, Esmeralda is placed in a special class because she is still learning this language
English
Negrita’s mother consults a botánica or local healer to treat illnesses with these natural items: 🌿🌸
Herbs and Plants
Esmeralda is the eldest of how many children in her growing family?
11 Children
Esmeralda works hard to move out of the non-English track by learning vocabulary using this book: 📖🔍
English Dictonary
After stepping on a rusty nail, Negrita gets sick with this serious infection: 🩹💉
What is tetanus
Esmeralda auditions and gets accepted into this special high school in NYC: 🎭🎶
Performing Arts Highschool/Science Highschool
The family celebrates holidays with parrandas, which are Puerto Rican ________: 🪘🎶
What are musical neighborhood parades / Christmas caroling?
Esmeralda’s grandmother, who lives in Brooklyn and helps the family settle in NYC, is called: 👵
Abuela (Tata)
During her audition at the Performing Arts High School, the teachers ask Esmeralda to perform an improvised scene doing this physical activity: 🩰💃
Dance
American experts visit the local school to teach children about nutrition using this visual guide: 🍎🥦🍞🥩
The Food Pyramid
For her successful audition, Esmeralda acts out a scene from this play:
What is The Member of the Wedding?
This Spanish term refers to the feeling of intense homesickness or nostalgia for Puerto Rico: 💔🏝️
Añoranza / Fiesta)
smeralda moves to New York primarily so her baby brother Raymond can get medical treatment for this injured body part: 🦶🏥
His foot
At the end of the memoir, Esmeralda successfully graduates from high school and later attends this famous Ivy League college
Harvard University