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Mari (María Delores Cruz Santos)

Eleven-year-old Mari Cruz is the daughter of Papá and Mamá and the older sister of Ofie and Luby. Born in Mexico, Mari still remembers the arduous and dangerous process of crossing the border illegally… read analysis of Mari (María Delores Cruz Santos)

Tyler Paquette

Tyler Paquette is the 11-year-old son of Mom and Dad, the brother of Ben and Sara, and the best friend of Mari. Despite being the baby of the family, Tyler is deeply… read analysis of Tyler Paquette

Papá (Mr. Cruz)

Papá is the husband of Mamá and the father of Mari, Ofie, and Luby. He is Abuelote and Abuelota’s son and the brother of Tío Armando and Tío Felipe. Papá… read analysis of Papá (Mr. Cruz)

Grandma

Grandma is the widow of Gramps, the mother of Mr. Paquette, Uncle Larry, and Aunt Jeanne, and the grandmother of Ben, Sara, and Tyler. After the Cruz family… read analysis of Grandma

Mr. Rossetti

Mr. Rossetti is an elderly resident of the Vermont town where the Paquettes and Cruzes live. He is initially depicted as an opinionated and cranky old man, full of righteous indignation at the way undocumented… read analysis of Mr. Rossetti

Mom (Mrs. Connie Paquette)

Mrs. Paquette is the wife of Mr. Paquette and the mother of Ben, Sara, and Tyler. A high-school math teacher and a woman of great certainty, she is the force that keeps… read analysis of Mom (Mrs. Connie Paquette)

Mamá

María Antonia Santos Cruz, or Mamá is the wife of Papá and the mother of Mari, Ofie, and Luby. Her parents are Abuelito and Abuelita. Having crossed the border illegally in… read analysis of Mamá

Tío Felipe

Tío Felipe is the son of Abuelote and Abuelota and the younger brother of Tío Armando and Papá. He comes to America with Papá, Mamá, and Mari when he is just 14 years… read analysis of Tío Felipe

Ofie (María Ofelia Cruz)

Ofie is the middle of Mamá and Papá’s three children and the sister of Mari and Luby. She is seven years old when her family relocates to Vermont. She is also, as Tyler… read analysis of Ofie (María Ofelia Cruz)

Ms. Ramírez

Ms. Ramírez is the Spanish teacher at Tyler’s and Mari’s school. A native of Texas and the daughter of immigrants herself, she values cultural education and teaches her students about Spanish and Mexican… read analysis of Ms. Ramírez

Mr. Bicknell

Mr. Bicknell is Tyler’s and Mari’s teacher. A talented and passionate educator, Mr. Bicknell cares deeply about both the traditional academic subjects like science and literature but also about teaching his students to… read analysis of Mr. Bicknell

Aunt Roxie

Aunt Roxie is Mrs. Paquette’s sister and the wife of Uncle Tony. Once a waitress in a roller-derby bar, in middle age Aunt Roxie co-owns a lucrative party planning business with her husband… read analysis of Aunt Roxie

Dad (Mr. Abelard Paquette)

Mr. Paquette is the husband of Mrs. Paquette and the father of Ben, Sara, and Tyler. Seriously injured in a tractor accident while tending to the fields of his Vermont dairy farm… read analysis of Dad (Mr. Abelard Paquette)

Ben Paquette

Ben Paquette is Mr. Paquette’s and Mrs. Paquette’s eldest son and the brother of Sara and Tyler. In the fall of 2005, he is 18 and bound for college. After the Cruz family… read analysis of Ben Paquette

Luby (María Lubyneida Cruz)

At five years old, Luby is the youngest of Mamá’s and Papá’s three daughters, after Mari and Ofie. Because she’s in kindergarten and comes home at noon, in Vermont she quickly becomes… read analysis of Luby (María Lubyneida Cruz)

Aunt Jeanne

Aunt Jeanne is the daughter of Gramps and Grandma, the sister of Mr. Paquette and Uncle Larry, and the wife of Uncle Byron. Unlike her brothers, she no longer belongs to the… read analysis of Aunt Jeanne

Uncle Larry

Uncle Larry is the son of Gramps and Grandma and the brother of Mr. Paquette and Aunt Jeanne. A successful dairy farmer and purveyor of organic manure compost, his employment of migrant workers from… read analysis of Uncle Larry

Uncle Tony

Uncle Tony is Aunt Roxie’s husband. Once a bouncer in a roller-derby bar, in middle age he co-owns a lucrative party-planning business with his wife. Together, they enjoy spoiling their niece Sara and nephews… read analysis of Uncle Tony

Tío Armando

Tío Armando is the brother of Tío Felipe and Papá and the son of Abuelote and Abuelota. He is an undocumented immigrant in America, where he works to support his parents and his own… read analysis of Tío Armando

Ronnie Pellegrini

Ronnie Pellegrini is a classmate of Mari and Tyler and a friend of Clayton. He and Clayton dislike Mari (and undocumented immigrants, whom they cruelly label as “illegals”) and taunt and tease her in… read analysis of Ronnie Pellegrini

Clayton Lacroix

Clayton Lacroix is a classmate of Mari and Tyler and a friend of Ronnie. Together with Ronnie, he teases, taunts, and torments Mari for being an “illegal alien.” However, like Tyler, his French-origin last… read analysis of Clayton Lacroix

Mr. O’Good

Mr. O’Good is the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent to whom Mari tells Papá’s and Mamá’s stories, hoping for leniency in the trials and deportation hearings each face. Moved by her testimony, her… read analysis of Mr. O’Good

Alyssa

Alyssa is the White, American college student who befriends Tío Felipe. A fluent Spanish speaker and a volunteer at a clinic not far from Las Margaritas, where the Cruz family has its roots, she… read analysis of Alyssa

Gramps

Gramps was Grandma’s husband and the father of Mr. Paquette, Uncle Larry, and Aunt Jeanne. Like his father before him and his sons after him, he was a hardworking and patriotic… read analysis of Gramps

Minor Characters

Sara Paquette

Sara is Mr. Paquette’s and Mrs. Paquette’s middle child and the sister of Ben and Tyler. Presented as a typical American teenaged girl, Sara is mostly interested in her boyfriends and in shopping. Nevertheless, she is kind and generous to Mari, Ofie, Luby, and Mamá.

Barry

Barry is Ms. Ramírez’s White boyfriend. A portly, humorous, and friendly man, he meets Mari, Ofie, and Luby when he accompanies Ms. Ramírez to a party the Cruz family holds in honor of those who helped Tío Felipe during his incarceration.

Caleb Calhoun

Caleb is the young, White immigration lawyer whom Mrs. Paquette finds to help Tío Felipe when he is incarcerated and facing both a criminal trial and deportation hearings. Caleb subsequently represents Mamá and Papá as well.

Abuelita

Abuelita is the wife of Abuelito, the mother of Mamá, and the grandmother of Mari, Ofie, and Luby. It’s Abuelita’s final illness that separates Mamá from her family after she returns to Mexico to visit before Abuelita dies.

Abuelote

Abuelote is the husband of Abuelota, the father of Papá, Tío Armando, and Tío Felipe, and the grandfather of Mari, Ofie, and Luby.

Abuelota

Abuelota is the wife of Abuelote, the mother of Papá, Tío Armando, and Tío Felipe, and the grandmother of Mari, Ofie, and Luby.

Abuelito

Abuelito is the widower of Abuelita, the father of Mamá, and the grandfather of Mari, Ofie, and Luby.

Uncle Byron

Uncle Byron is Aunt Jeanne’s husband. He is a university professor.

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