| I Am a Taxi Contributor(s): Ellis, Deborah (Author) |
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ISBN: 0888997361 ISBN-13: 9780888997364 Publisher: Groundwood Books OUR PRICE: $9.89 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: September 2006 Annotation: For twelve-year-old Diego and his family, home is the San Sebastian Women's Prison in Cochabamba, Bolivia. His parents farmed coca, a traditional Bolivian medicinal plant, until they got caught in the middle of the government's war on drugs. Diego's adjusted to his new life. His parents are locked up, but he can come and go: to school, to the market to sell his mother's hand-knitted goods, and to work as a "taxi," running errands for other prisoners. But then his little sister runs away, earning his mother a heavy fine. The debt and dawning realization of his hopeless situation make him vulnerable to his friend Mando's plan to make big money, fast. Soon, Diego is deep in the jungle, working as a virtual slave in an illegal cocaine operation. As his situation becomes more and more dangerous, he knows he must take a terrible risk if he ever wants to see his family again. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Juvenile Fiction | Law & Crime - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places - United States - Hispanic & Latino - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes - Drugs, Alcohol, Substance Abuse |
| Dewey: FIC |
| Lexile Measure: 730 |
| Series: Cocalero Novels |
| Physical Information: 0.57" H x 5.13" W x 7.53" (0.45 lbs) 208 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Latin America - Ethnic Orientation - Hispanic |
| Accelerated Reader Info |
| Quiz #: 109350 Reading Level: 4.8 Interest Level: Middle Grades Point Value: 5.0 |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: For twelve-year-old Diego and his family, home is the San Sebastian Women's Prison in Cochabamba, Bolivia. His parents farmed coca, a traditional Bolivian medicinal plant, until they got caught in the middle of the government's war on drugs. Diego's adjusted to his new life. His parents are locked up, but he can come and go: to school, to the market to sell his mother's hand-knitted goods, and to work as a "taxi, running errands for other prisoners. But then his little sister runs away, earning his mother a heavy fine. The debt and dawning realization of his hopeless situation make him vulnerable to his friend Mando's plan to make big money, fast. Soon, Diego is deep in the jungle, working as a virtual slave in an illegal cocaine operation. As his situation becomes more and more dangerous, he knows he must take a terrible risk if he ever wants to see his family again. |