MEXIKID DREAMS: A GRAPHIC MEMOIR, by Pedro Martín, Dial Books, Sept.1, 2026, Hardcover, $24.99, Paperback, $14.99 (ages 10-14)
Family hijinks, immigration patrols, and musical daydreams shape a year of growth and change for a Mexican American boy and his family in Mexikid Dreams, by Pedro Martin.
Pedro Martín is sick of strawberries. Since he was seven, he’s spent every weekend and summer picking berries with his family under the hot sun. Sometimes it’s not so bad—Pedro’s an ace at “strawberry wars” with his siblings, and when a good song comes on the radio, the fields can come alive with music. But mostly, Pedro wishes he could just stay home watching Saturday cartoons, head to the beach like other kids, and not worry about immigration patrols.
When his older brother gets a job away from the farm, freedom suddenly seems within arm’s reach: Pedro just has to prove to his dad that he’s ready to follow a different path! Maybe he can be a trombone player, or a cartoonist—if that’s even a real job.
But as Pedro learns more about his parents’ and abuelito’s past, and the choices they made in order to open up more choices for him, he starts to understand that freedom isn’t just about leaving the fields—it’s about knowing where you came from and having the courage to draw your own life. —Synopsis provided by Dial Books
Mexikid Dreams is a graphic memoir companion to Pedro Martin’s Newbery Honor winner Mexikid (August 2023). And it does not disappoint.
Mexikid Dreams features the same laugh-out-loud hijinks and drama as its predecessor, but this time, Martin focuses on life as a sharecropping family in California. And it’s eye-opening to say the least. From foul-smelling outhouse and farming gear to listening to the radio and dodging LaMigra, Martin drops readers inside real-life experiences in a way that only someone who lived them can.
Martin’s story is dynamic and his writing matches that. There’s an excellent sense of rhythm to the pacing. And Martin’s lively illustrations bring an energy that really moves the action forward.
Mexikid Dreams is an immigrant story that tugs at the heartstrings in all the right places. It will have you laughing on one page, and you’ll feel your heart breaking on another. It’s an excellent memoir that can be read in conjunction with Mexikid or on its own.
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