When Margarita and her family move from New Mexico to Wyoming, Margarita’s goal is to make a new friend. She misses home and her abuela, who remained behind; in Wyoming, where her father and brother work for the railroad, her Mexican American family is in the minority, and not everyone is welcoming. Margarita is wary of bossy Caroline, who befriends her but insists she choose an “American” name. (Margarita, whose great-grandfather fought in the Civil War in New Mexico, repeatedly informs Caroline that she is, indeed, American.) Racism plays out in many ways, from daily microaggressions experienced by the whole family to outright hostility and discrimination against Margarita’s father and brother at work. As Margarita works to pay off a debt at the local general store, she also struggles to determine whether Caroline is a true friend. Grounded in rich details of family, tradition, and food, Margarita’s appealing and insightful story is one of quiet triumph and well-deserved pride. The Spanish spoken by Margarita’s family incorporated throughout the story is “Nueva España,” the geographically distinct Spanish spoken in New Mexico and southern Colorado historically, including during the Great Depression, when this story is set. (Ages 9–12)

In this heartwarming historical middle-grade set in the 1930s -- perfect for fans of Esperanza Rising and Hattie Big Sky-- Margarita Sandoval and her family try to navigate the shifting winds of belonging in their new Wyoming town.

Some days, ten-year-old Margaríta Sandoval feels as if the wind might blow her away. The country has been gripped by the Great Depression, so times are hard everywhere. Then she has to leave her família in New Mexico -- especially her beloved Abuelita -- to move to Fort Steele, Wyoming, where her father has taken a job on the railroad.

When Margaríta meets Evangeline, she's excited to have a friend her own age in Wyoming. But it often seems like Evangeline, and everyone else in town, doesn't understand or appreciate the Sandovals' Hispanic heritage. At the same time, the Sandovals discover they might lose Abuelita's land and their ancestral home unless they can pay off her tax bill. Can Margaríta keep her friend, help her family in New Mexico, and find a place in Fort Steele for good?