The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child

By Francisco Jiménez

"'La frontera'...I heard it for the first time back in the late 1940s when Papa and Mama told me and Roberto, my older brother, that someday we would take a long trip north, cross la frontera, enter California, and leave our poverty behind." So begins this honest and powerful account of a family's journey to the fields of California -- to a life of constant moving, from strawberry fields to cotton fields, from tent cities to one-room shacks, from picking grapes to topping carrots and thinning lettuce. Seen through the eyes of a boy who longs for an education and the right to call one palce home, this is a story of survival, faith, and hope. It is a journey that will open readers' hearts and minds.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Oct 25, 1999
• ISBN: 9780547377209

Francisco Jiménez

Francisco Jiménez emigrated from Tlaquepaque, Mexico, to California, where he worked for many years in the fields with his family. He received both his master’s degree and his Ph.D. from Columbia University and is now the chairman of the Modern Languages and Literature Department at Santa Clara University, the setting of much of his newest novel, Reaching Out. He is the Pura Belpre Honor winning author of The Circuit, Breaking Through, and La Mariposa. He is also the recipient of the John Steinbeck Award. He lives with his family in Santa Clara, California.

Book preview

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Reviews for The Circuit

[librolindsay · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Only 2 stars because a couple passages managed to tug on my heartstrings a little bit. Otherwise, I have found far more cohesive, moving testaments to border issues. And WTF is up with that ending? For realz.

[lindseyarmah · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The circuit is an autobiography of an immigrant child from Mexico. He along with his four siblings and parents travel to America in hopes of a better future. Throughout the author's childhood, his family is seen dealing with many hardships, relocating several times, and working on fields. The reader sees Fransisco mature as he continues going to school while learning English and working hard along the way. This is a good book for teachers to gain a new/honest perspective on how their classroom and teaching methods can affect students who are multi-lingual learners. We learn that Fransisco is very outgoing and eager to learn, but gets frustrated by the language barrier and unhelpful teachers. To his teachers, he was probably labeled as an underacheiver, but we know that he is very smart and being in a different environment from home while dealing with difficulties at home makes school intimidating and challenging.

[kassruiz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book tells the tale of Fransico an immigrant trying to find his way in a world unfamiliar to what he's used to.

[cdavie3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed the story, "The Circuit" for a few reasons. For starters, I enjoyed the diction through out the story. The Circuit is riddled with Spanish language throughout the entirety of the book. When Panchito describes some of his family members he uses Spanish language like, madre and padre which provides a sense of the Spanish speaking culture. In addition, the plot of the story is very eye opening and relevant to the lives of several people in this country. Francisco describes the life of Panchito and his family after they migrated to the U.S. and what it was like living in the camp. I find this story to be of a high level of importance because it sheds the light on how fortunate we are to live in the U.S. while understanding what others have to do in order to live a life style that is somewhat similar.

[fmccas1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The circuit gave a unique look into how life is when people immigrate to new countries. It tells of how they got into the country and the hardships they faced when they arrived here. It also showed how hard it was to be a EL student in the United States. Teachers were not teaching the way that they needed to for those students. This left Panchito lost in the classroom. It also showed how difficult it can be to make it in a new country. Panchito's family did not have a lot of money and did also not have healthcare. The book made me respect the struggle of making it in America. The perseverance shown by this family is inspiring. It tells its readers to never give up even if times are hard.

[whisper1_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a young adult book telling the story of the difficulty of illegal immigrants who find a way to come across the border into California. Based on the authors early life, the story is told from the young boys perspective.It is heartbreaking and sad to think that this family had hoped for a better life when they fled their home land. Instead, what occurred was grinding poverty as the family continually moved from one farm to another seeking work. Paid .03 per pound of backbreaking work picking cotton, they barely eeked out a living.When roaming for work, the children obtained an irregular time for education. Continually on the lookout for immigration officers who would readily transport them back to Mexico, they lived in fear. As the family expanded increasingly with more and more children, and a father with severe back issues, it became more and more difficult.This accurate depiction is very heart breaking, but worth the read!

[ebecker13 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This multicultural non-fiction book is about a family who flees Mexico to find work in the United States. Their family crosses the border late one night and makes it to a labor camp. Throughout the book the family struggles to find work which forces them to move frequently. The children struggle to stay in school because they have to help their father work in the fields and they are constantly moving. The children struggle to learn English in school and are held back in first grade. They also struggle with making friends because of the frequent moves. Overall, poverty and learning English are the two most prominent struggles for the family in this book.

[bayleewestrick · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This autobiography is about Francisco Jimenez's immigration into the United States. It goes through all of his struggles of the American schooling system, finding work and constantly moving. He is in poverty and his family faces many challenges, such as sickness or housing. They are constantly hiding from the "migra", until one day, the "migra" show up at school and take Francisco away.

[amulve2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed reading the book “The Circuit” by Franciso Jimenez. One aspect I liked about this book was the writing. The writing was engaging and kept me interested in the book. The writing was also very well organized and flowed together nicely. “We called it Tent City. Everybody called it Tent City, although it was neither a city nor a town. It was a farm worker labor camp owned by Sheehey Strawberry Farms.” Another reason I liked this book was because of the characters. The characters in this story went through realistic situations, considering this really did happen to someone. One situation that happens in the book is the family’s youngest son gets very sick. The family waits to take him to the doctors and he almost ends up dying. The son has to stay in the hospital for a long time. The big idea of the book is to keep your family safe and protected.

[cduke3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In my opinion, this is wonderful book for children. The story is written in a first person point a view, which can make it more relatable especially for children. When I was reading, I was more engaged in the story than I would have been had it been written from another perspective. Another reason that I really enjoyed this book was the actual writing. The book integrates Spanish words within the story. For example, Jimenez writes, “…we all called him ‘Torito,’ little bull, because he weighed ten pounds at birth.” In a classroom this can expose children to another language if they have not yet been, as well as validate those students who do speak Spanish. Finally, I liked that it challenges its readers to think about tough issues and broaden their perspectives. Unless someone has immigrated to the United States, the idea of immigration does not really cross the minds of children. This book is a great tool to expose young readers to what can happen, and is happening, to children their age.

[awhite43-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed the book The Circuit by Francisco Jiménez. I liked Panchito's descriptions of entering the U.S. from Mexico under the chain link fence as and how his father inspected his first car the "Carcanchita" loading everything and saving his mother;'s pot "Mi olla" for last. I though it was depressing that the family was deported in the end but overall the short story style of the chapters told a very powerful story about migration and the value of receiving an education.

[cassandraquigley · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I liked this book for a few different reasons. One reason being that this book incorporates the native Spanish language to remind that reader that the characters in the book are of the Spanish decent and not American, such as when the author writes, “tienen que tener cuidado.” By including Spanish into the book it helps to portray the difficult in communication the main character experienced during his first few years in America. I also like the book, because the author incorporated great symbolism. A big overlapping theme of symbolism was the reoccurrence of rain, which symbolized the hardships and struggles the family continually faced throughout the novel. The overall message of this book was that sometimes everything is not what it seems, because before the family got to America they thought it was full of opportunities to make money, but when they actually got their they faced nothing but hardships.

[madams21 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked this book for its relevance with today’s immigration concerns. The main idea of the book is to illustrate the life of immigrants growing up in the agricultural labor camps of California. It highlighted the daily struggle to survive and the constant fear of deportation. It also illustrated the disjointed bits of education these children receive, also very relevant today. I liked the book for its detailed descriptions of an immigrant’s life, such as an entire family sleeping on one mattress laid on the floor. I would have liked to see the Spanish words with their English translations beside them instead of just the Spanish words. The book was easy reading with short chapters and interesting details, consistent with early elementary school.

[kwatkins89 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I never understood the fear immigrants face when fleeing for new grounds until I read this novel. I also learned how difficult learning English as a second language can be. This book was very touching and I really enjoyed reading it. I loved how Jimenez allowed his readers to learn about his history and the journey it took him to come to America. I also like how Jimenez used a lot of imagery in his writing. I believe he wanted his readers to see for themselves the hardships he and his family faced when he was a child. The ending of the novel upset me greatly and I became angry with the men dressed in green uniforms. A great novel that I recommend all should read.

[acasca1-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed reading Francisco Jimenez's book, The Circuit. The big idea of this book is to describe the hardships that migrant families faced trying to live the American dream. One reason I liked it was because it pushes the reader to broaden their perspective on tough issues. The book describes what a family of ten must go through to survive under such extreme conditions they faced working in the fields and dealing with poverty. I also liked how the author incorporated some Spanish into his language and highlighted it in italics. For example, he writes, "...someday we would take a long trip north, cross la frontera (italics), enter California, and leave our poverty behind." This made the story more personal and gave a more realistic feel of the families culture.

[kholec1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

“The Circuit” was a story depicting to the audience the life of a migrant child. The story showed the struggles that a migrant child has to go through, and gives the reader an inside look on how many immigrants actually have to live like when they come to the United States. The family demonstrates faith and hope as they work hard every day in order to survive and better their life. This shows the audience that even if they are given a bad hand in life, they need to continually push forward and work hard. The reader is able to grasp all the hardships that migrant children have to go through and have a greater respect for ELL students. Francisco was constantly moving from school to school, knowing little English and missing a lot of the curriculum. However, he kept trying his best to succeed. This teaches students that they need to give everyone a fair chance, and realize some students do not have the luxury to stay in one school for the full school year.

[dbond-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Circuit is a memoir of stories of a Mexican immigrant’s experience in the United States. Francisco Jimenez tells his tale in a series of several short stories. They are detailed, and in the beginning innocent, as he grows up alongside his siblings and hardworking parents. It is a story that will pull at your heart strings as you experience the difficulties he faces as a young child in a world whose language he doesn’t understand, not sure some nights where he will sleep, or what food he will eat. It is a great book that should be part of not only every fifth grade library, but in every home and school. In this day and age there are so many that live just as Jimenez did, there are many immigrants in our schools today, and the number is growing. This gives students a real look into their lives, and perhaps will treat them differently after reading this.

[kharri34 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I have mixed feelings about this book for the following reasons. On one hand, I liked the narrator’s point of view because it was a first-hand experience that most people did not experience. For example, when Francisco’s family crossed the border to America illegally, it was something I had never read before and I found it refreshing to read something so honest. However, I did not like the overall tone of this book because I thought it was too gloomy. I think it would have been very difficult as a child to read this and enjoy it despite the terrible things that happened to Francisco. For instance, his family is deported at the end of the book which was very hard for me to accept as the end to the story because it was so depressing. I understand that not all stories should have happy endings, but this one was too unhappy for me to accept. The big idea of this story is that some families have to face severe hardships in order to survive together.

[joshuachanyh-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a story about the life of a migrant child from Mexico. Jimenez paces the story well, except that it might be a little bit confusing when he transitions from one time to another. This is a great book to help students to understand more about immigrant's perspective and life. Great book to teach empathy and inference.

[caittbitt-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is an excellent read for students in 5th to 6th grade. It not only connects to the reader because of the main characters age, but it also allows the reader to understand the hardships and struggles that immigrant children, and children who speak more than one language face when coming to America. This book is a great tool for teaching about another culture; the food, the traditions, the family style and much more.

[dannien-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This text tells stories about a Mexican American child whose family came to America when he was a young child. His family crossed the border into America illegally and has moved around from place to place, wherever work was located, for his whole life. This story is great for sharing with a class of students that needs to better understand cultures and wealth levels different from their own (also from an older time period). Each chapter in this book tells about a different story during this boy's childhood as he and his family were migrant workers. I did not want to put this book down, as I learned a lot myself about what these kinds of working families had to go through during this time period. Students will be engaged and stay curious as they read through this text.

[rrossi1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is a moving collection of personal stories about the life of a migrant child. Every chapter highlights a different event in the child's life with his family. Some of the stories are incredibly emotional. They accurately portray what the life of a migrant child would have been like at the time. Ultimately, this book is incredibly informational, but because it is also incredibly sad, it can be tough to enjoy the book as a whole.

[edefra1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Circuit was one of my favorite books so far. Although it had a positive message, to be appreciative of what you have and to not take anything for granted, i was not engaged. The one thing I disliked about this book was how slow the plot was. I feel like it took 50 pages to get into the interesting and main points of the story. Therefore, there was a lot of excess information that made the book drag. Overall, the author could have made the book more exciting. On the other hand I did like how it pushed readers to appreciate what they have. For example, Francisco and his family scrambled for food for a long period of time but still cared for one another. In addition, their living situations were bad but they still showed pride for their Mexican culture. So, the book did encourage me to critically think, but it took time to get into the main message of the story.

[chelz517-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is a multicultural book that takes through the rough times and the good times of a migrant child. You see the struggles that a young boy and his family go through. You learn the power of family,love, and faith throughout this book. This story is a detailed one that truly gives you what the "American Dream" is and how people strive for it.Its an eye opener and a heart breaker with a shocking ending!

[allier93 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book consist of stories that show the hardship of being a migrant child. There are so many events in this story that shows the struggle this boy had to overcome. He had to work all day in cotton fields regardless of how he was feeling, he did not know understand English and he was constantly teased at school. The book also shows some aspects of the Spanish culture. It mentioned the food they ate, which was tacos. It also mentioned some terms in Spanish. One of the terms was corridos which is a Spanish song. This book illustrated the hard life that this boy lived and showed the kind of things that some kids might go through.

[bstove1-1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I do not think that The Circuit is a good book. I did not like the book because of the plot. I think that the plot does not flow from one chapter to the next, and there are a lot of gaps in the story where it is unclear what happened in between those events. For example, the reader finds out that he is good in math at the end of the story, but there is no real explanation for how he got that way or who helped him get that way. Also, I did not like the book because I think that the language is not used properly. The author includes a lot of Spanish words into his story, but he does not clarify them very well. Many times he placed a large Spanish quote, but never wrote what it meant, so therefore, the Spanish does not make any meaning for the people who read it. The main message of this book is that in order to survive you need the love of your family.

[gsmith3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I found myself conflicted when reviewing this book. On a positive note I feel that the author did a solid job developing each character. As a result, the emotion that was felt by Francisco throughout was something I could really relate to. On his first day of school he "did not understand a word" the teacher was saying. Although I've never struggled with a second language i have felt that i stood out before for not knowing something. In addition to the development of the characters, the author accurately depicts the struggle of so many families trying to make it in America. Jimenez chronicles the family's constant moving and search for food and shelter. Although I was drawn in emotionally to the families ongoing struggles the book did not grab me like the recently read story Esperanza Rising.

[katiebrennan-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I have mixed feelings about The Circuit. Although I enjoyed the characters, I did not like the plot. I felt as though the characters are developed well. Readers are able to see Francisco go from a stubborn and unhappy boy to a boy who is inspired to achieve his goals and overcome obstacles. However, the plot is not hopeful, but instead rather depressing. Every time something positive happens for Francisco and his family, something negative comes along and wipes away any trace of hope that was present. For example, as soon as Francisco and Miguel become best friends, Miguel and his family move away. The ending is not hopeful either. Francisco was finally able to achieve reciting the Declaration of Independence when the immigration police capture him. The main idea of the story is to continue to persevere through hardships in order to accomplish your goals.

[katieflu628 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"The Circut" is a great multicultural chapter book. This book is a story about a migrant child and the troubles him and his family faced. From near death to success, this story takes you through thick and thin. The details are endless, and the story line is one to remember. This is great to show the past life of immigrants, and realize how life of migrants have changed and how lucky we all are today.

[abreid1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked this book because it gave me an outside look at another culture. I liked the characters in this book because they were believable and they all had a specific role. The young boy who narrates the story is strong and determined. He speaks only Spanish and when put into an English classroom, he doesn't know what is going on and doesn't bother to try. He eventually finds some determination and wants to succeed and does so after working hard. I really liked this books plot and how the author would tell many different stories about the family throughout their journeys but i hated how the book ended. The main idea in this book was perseverance and determination. Despite the outcome, this family underwent many obstacles but worked hard and succeeded.