Bertrand, Diane Gonzales (1999). Trino's choice. Houston: Pinata Books. ISBN: 1558852689
/ 978-1-55885-268-6
Summary: When Trino witnesses a crime and ducks into a bookstore to hide from the perpetrator, Rosca, a tough eighth grader, Trino meets Lisana and her "school-type" friends, which introduces him to different activities and ways of interacting. Trino is pretty miserable, living in a small trailer with his hard-working mother, three brothers, lazy cousin and never with enough food to eat. When his mother loses her cleaning job and his baby brother gets ill, Trino has to make a difficult decision about how to get money to help the family.
Additional comments: Trino's Choice is a quick read that is fast-paced and moving. The story provides a glimpse into a very difficult home-life without any father figure, supervision, and without consistent nutritious meals. Trino's Choice is a great book to show life in a poor barrio and the hard life of low-waged jobs. However, the characters are not very well developed, and although tragedy strikes at the end, the book doesn't have the emotional impact it could have if more connection were created with the characters. But, reluctant readers will be drawn into Trino's world and challenges.
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