Let’s talk about historical fiction for middle graders! The Pecan Sheller by Lupe Ruiz Flores is the perfect addition to your classroom library or your tweens reading list. It takes place in San Antonio in 1937. We have 13 year-old Petra who is desperately trying to keep her promise to her recently deceased father that she will finish school. Sadly, her family can’t survive on the pennies that her stepmother, whom she calls amá, brings home by shelling pecans. Petra is forced to quit school and join her. The conditions are horrible with no ventilation and crowded working conditions. Workers are getting sick and when it is announced they will be paid less for their work, labor organizers plan a strike. Ama refuses to let Petra participate in the union demonstrations. This deepens the riff between the two until Petra learns of ama’s horrific experiences during the Mexican Revolution.
This powerful story shines the light on the work of labor activist Emma Tenayuca who helped lead the 6 week strike that was the first successful collective action in the South. That very year Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards act that established a minimum wage of 25 cents an hour.
The Pecan Sheller is available now at your local bookseller or your public library.
Thanks to NetGalley and Lerner Publisher be access to the e-arc

Petra dreams of going to college and becoming a writer. Petra must quit school to help her stepmother pay the bills, working to shell pecans at the factory. She hopes it is only temporary, Petra tries to focus on her future instead of the hard working conditions. Nothing changes, and Petra knows things need to change. She and her coworkers decide to go on strike for higher wages and safer conditions.

This story is about Petra, a girl who lives in Texas in the 1930s. Her father died the year before and her family, her stepmom and two half siblings are struggling to make a living on the stepmom's salary for shelling pecans. Eventually, the stepmother asks Petra to quit school and shelf pecans to supplement the family income. Petra grudgingly agrees and finds that shelling pecans is hard work and she doesn't make money. Also, there is a lot of dust from the pecans and many of the workers stuggle with lung issues. Petra's difficulties come into focus more clearly when one of her friends dies from a lung ailment. Petra joins a group of people demonstrating for better working conditions and better pay. This was a story that focused primarily on Petra's feelings about working when she wanted to be in school as well as some of the awful consequences of the lack of health and safety rules in the workplace.

It took me a while to get into this book, but I came to love Petra and her story. It covers an important part of history that I am glad has been brought further into the light. There are some really incredible characters in this story and I'm glad to have "known" them.

I enjoyed learning about this moment of Texas history. I had never heard about the pecan shellers strike. I learned so much about the conditions of this group and the hope that went into this strike. Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy!

The Pecan Shellers is a middle-grade novel set in Texas during the 1930s. 13-year-old Petra loves school and dreams of being a writer. Unfortunately, her father has died, leaving behind Petra, her stepmother, and her 2 younger siblings. Money is so tight that Petra has to leave school to work in a pecan factory with her stepmother. Even with both of them working long hours in terrible conditions, they are still extremely poor. Petra is angry about having to miss school and also upset about the low wages, which the factory owners are planning to cut even further. Some of her co-workers are talking about going on strike, but Petra knows it could cost her dearly.

I loved learning about this period in American history. I also enjoyed the Mexican-American representation.

Thanks to Lerner Publishing Group, Carolrhoda Books, and NetGalley for a review copy of The Pecan Shellers.

Often, some of the most meaningful way that history is taught is through works of fiction that draw from reality. The Pecan Sheller sheds light on a piece of labor history many might not have knowledge of. Told through the eyes of Petra, a thirteen-year-old Mexican American girl who is forced to leave school to work in a Pecan Shelling factory to help support her family, this middle grade novel is full of historical information and emotionally impactful.

Lupe Ruiz-Flores presents a strong-willed and realistic teen girl with her portrayal of Petra. She is stubborn and begins the novel insistent that she will find a way to return to school as quickly as she can. However, as she becomes more aware of the injustices endured by the laborers in the shelling factory, she becomes intent on finding a way to help fight for them. Meanwhile, Petra's stepmother is constantly attempting to reign Petra in to keep her safe and her family fed and sheltered. Both women are presented as trying to do what they believe is best for their family.

Though I am not usually a fan of historical fiction, I was curious if it might be a good addition to a middle school English curriculum. Overall, I was very impressed. This was a really well-paced and engaging reading that I think 7th and 8th grade students would find interesting. The incorporation of the historical aspects at the close of the novel also helps to examine how history and fiction come together to create a stronger, lasting understanding of the material. I think this would be a fabulous addition to any curriculum or a really intriguing independent reading for students that enjoy history.

The Pecan Sheller brings another story of workers rights to life. Petra promised her father she would finish school, but after he is gone, the family needs her to work more than learn. She is forced to leave school to take work full time as a pecan sheller. Each character met in the factory, from Petra's own step-mother to the girls even younger than Petra, working to support their own dreams, is a new perspective on how and why people were willing to work under terrible conditions for miniscule pay. But more than that, they are well drawn and significant characters, not just place holders. The narrative obviously supports workers rights, but the author takes pains to describe the myriad drawbacks, unintended consequenses, and terrifying possible outcomes of the fight for unions and better working conditions. I found this a well told and hopeful story.

It's 1937 in San Antonio, Texas, and 13-year-old Petra is living with her stepmother and half-siblings after her father's death. Petra loves school, especially writing stories. But when she is forced to leave school to work at the pecan factory with her stepmother, her life changes. The factory conditions are horrendous, and the pay is extremely low. Can working conditions change? Will Petra ever be able to return to school? This account of a key moment in U.S. labor history might only make it hands of 4th-6th grade readers if assigned by a teacher, but it was an interesting way to learn about it.

In 1937, Petra, 13, is forced to drop out of school to help her widowed stepmother support the family. Working in a pecan shelling factory, she never gives up her dreams. A realistic account of what it was like to be a child worker in a factory despite dire conditions. Back matter.

"In 1930s San Antonio, thirteen-year-old Petra dreams of going to college and becoming a writer. But with her beloved father dead, two younger siblings to care for, and with a stepmother struggling to make ends meet, Petra has to drop out of school to shell pecans at a factory. Hoping it's only temporary, she tries not to despair over the grueling work conditions. But after the unhealthy environment leads to tragedy and workers' already low wages are cut, She and her coworkers go on strike for higher wages and safer conditions, risking everything they have for the hope of a better future."
This middle grade book has a great voice for 13 yr. old Petra. It vacillated between grief, anger and resentment, to understanding and action. The cast of characters are well developed. What is not seen a lot is the role of step-mothers and I think this book did not rely on cliches about their roles, but rather how difficult for kids and the parent to navigate these new relationships.

There are a lot of issues in the book: poverty, income inequality, worker's pay and economic justice, the hazards of factory work and their toll on workers health as well as the bright spots in life not being taken for granted. The power of family and community is a focus on a well-written book for middle graders to high school. Thank you for the opportunity to read The Pecan Sheller.

Petra has such a great voice and is a character you can't help but get behind. It is the 1930s and Petra loves school. She wants to be a writer. But life intervenes when she is forced to give up school and start work at the pecan shelling factory where the work is not only grueling, but hazardous. Petra does the only thing she know will help - she organizes a strike. Based on real historical events and people, this novel is a must read.

El libro es muy excelente! I really enj0yed this book. This book talks about worker's rights. This is a fantastic book! El libro es muy excelente! I liked the christian values that were incorporated throughout the novel and look out for more work by Lupe Ruiz-Flores!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
I think this is an excellent early chapter book, I'm also trying to read and encourage reading of more books about and by non-white individuals with all the anti DEI happening. We were already deep in book banning in our area so access to varied books is something I really value for kids.
This was a well written and good resource.

While I really enjoyed a glimpse into a piece of history I wasn't much aware of, unfortunately the writing of this novel fell flat for me

The Pecan Sheller gave me a glimpse into a part of history I didn’t know much about, and I really appreciated that. The story does a great job showing the struggles of pecan shelling workers, their fight for better conditions, and what life was like in that time and place. I definitely learned a lot, and I think it would be a great read for anyone studying Texas history, labor movements, the rise of unions, or the creation of minimum wage laws.

That said, while I liked the book, it didn’t fully stick with me after finishing it. I usually rate books higher when I keep thinking about them days later, and this one just didn’t have that kind of impact for me. Still, it’s a well-written and informative read that I’d recommend to anyone interested in historical fiction about workers’ rights and resilience.

3.5 stars

This was a gorgeous book for younger audiences. The history lesson on the 1930s is incredibly valuable and told in an interesting way. I loved the strong community of women that Petra had to uplift her through her many tough moments.

Petra Navarros lives in San Antonio, Texas, in 1937. Times are tough, especially since her father has passed away, and her step mother (Amá) is trying to support Petra and her step siblings by shelling pecans in a local factory. Petra loves school, and promised her father that she would continue with her education so that she had more opportunities in her life, but when Amá can't earn enough money, Petra has to quit school and shell pecans as well. It's a tough job, and the working conditions are terrible. The dust from the pecans, combined with inadequate ventilation, lead to many of the workers getting tuberculosis. Petra befriends Dona Ramoncita, and older woman whose excellent work allows her to be somewhat outspoken, and Ofelia, who is slightly older and engaged to be married. Money is so tight that Petra finds it hard to obtain paper or pencils in order to write down her stories, and her siblings struggle to have shoes and clothes that fit. There are some moments of joy, and Amá allows Petra to go to the quinceanera of a school friend, even though the wealthy celebration is somewhat uncomfortable. When all of the factories in town threaten to cut wages (so that workers won't try to go to another factory), Dona Ramoncita leads a strike, but Amá doesn't want Petra to be involved, since Amá lived through the Mexican Revolution, which treated her brutally. The town rallies around the workers, and people donate food, but since Amá had lost her job before the strike and is taking in laundry, times are especially tough. Petra continues to fight for the cause, even being beaten and jailed. In the end, the strike causes the owners to limit the wage cuts a bit and improve conditions slightly, but a few months after the settlement, the Fair Labor Act guaruntees workers 25 cents an out. While some factories bring in machinery to cut the amount of workers, Amá is able to get a job running one of the machines, and Petra is able to go back to school.
Strengths: Historical fiction is helpful for providing young readers with a sense of context; when I was growing up, I heard personal stories about the privations of the Great Depression, but my students would be shocked to learn that Petra erased her assignment from notebook paper so she could reuse it. I know I pick up a dozen pencils a day from the hallway floors, so Petra's excitement about the gift of a pencil will be a revelation. The expectation for fair labor practices are also much different today, and the concept of taking work home from factories for families to work on will also be shocking for children who spend six hours a day playing games on their phones. This also touched on other historical events, like the Mexican Revolution and the Fair Pay Act, and has some helpful notes.
Weaknesses: While the death of the father is very sad, I can't imagine that Amá would have stayed in bed for several days. She wouldn't have had the luxury.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Sanchez's The Wind Called My Name or Dobbs' The Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna, which sheds some light on the experiences Amá might have had in Mexico.
https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-wind-called-my-name.html
https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/2021/09/mmgm-barefoot-dreams-of-petra-luna-and.html

Petra and her story of working in the pecan shelling factories is an important piece of history. I learned so much from her story. This would be a great book for classrooms to share.

The Pecan Sheller is a wonderful children's novel that unearth some of the harsh truths of the 1930's and how many families struggled to overcome the depression, hardships of the economy, and family life.

Petra is young girl who has lost so much in her short life, her parents included, and then has to leave her hearts desire for school, to help her step-mom take care of her and her younger siblings. The strong takes place in Texas and helps to give realistic accounts of the conditions of work for children and the workers. It gives readers an insights to what sparked the movement for better work conditions and treatment. This story does a great job of appealing to the reader's sense of equality and understanding the fight for justice. I enjoyed hearing the story from Petra's perspective and how this story helps honor her mom and grandma who where sheller themselves.

Thank you Netgalley and Lerner Publishing Group for my ARC copy. I received an advance copy in exchange for my review.