Grab Hands and Run
Encyclopedia
Grab Hands and Run is a fictional adaptation of a true story written by Frances Temple
. The book is written at a fourth grade level aimed at audiences 8-10. The author is actually involved in the story as she once sheltered the refuges the book writes about.
because their father has disappeared. The family had developed a contingency plan for such an event previously which called for them to flee to Canada, and so they do through Guatemala
, Mexico
and the United States
. The book focuses on the children having to learn not to provoke the anger of government officials and other people in power. As their trip progresses they realize how precious a home and an intact family is. They finally make it to Canada
but they find out from a religious man that their father was killed.
Frances Temple
Frances Temple was a primary school teacher, a writer of award-winning children's stories and young adult novels and an illustrator. She was born August 15, 1945 in Washington, District of Columbia. She grew up in Virginia, France, and Vietnam...
. The book is written at a fourth grade level aimed at audiences 8-10. The author is actually involved in the story as she once sheltered the refuges the book writes about.
Plot details
The story focuses on the 12-year-old protagonist Felipe and his younger sister Romy who flee from the difficult political situation in El SalvadorEl Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
because their father has disappeared. The family had developed a contingency plan for such an event previously which called for them to flee to Canada, and so they do through Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The book focuses on the children having to learn not to provoke the anger of government officials and other people in power. As their trip progresses they realize how precious a home and an intact family is. They finally make it to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
but they find out from a religious man that their father was killed.