From 1936 to 1939, a civil war raged across Spain. When fascist dictator Francisco Franco declared victory, his forces began to persecute anyone who had once opposed him.
Different follows siblings Paco and Socorro as they come of age in this time of secrets and danger. When the siblings’ father flees the country because of his political beliefs, their family must hide the truth in order to survive. At last a letter arrives, with a chance for them to reunite in Venezuela…
PACO
The Man of the House
Life can change suddenly and without warning. I know because it happened to me. I was half under the bed because that was where my plane had landed. It was my favorite plane. At that moment, my only concern was to rescue it quickly before I needed to sneeze. If I sneezed, my mother would get worried and make me take a spoonful of medicine that tasted awful. There was a lot of dust under my bed, and the floor was freezing. I felt like my elbows and belly were going to freeze, too.
Just when my fingers had managed to reach the plane’s wings, I heard my father’s voice calling for me. I went into the living room, acting as if I were flying, with my two arms spread wide, steering clear of the furniture where I might find the enemy attacking me, imitating the sounds of my plane and the bombs it released as it passed.
SOCORRO
The Girl Who Was Never Hungry
I hated to be in the pueblo. It’s not that I didn’t like the village or its people. It was very pretty, and everyone loved me to pieces and treated me well. I had lived there before, because when the war started, my father took my mother, my brother Paquito, and me to live in the pueblo, where everyone is related to us. That’s not an exaggeration—in almost every house there’s someone who calls me cousin or niece. What’s more, that’s where my first tooth fell out and where I saw the underbelly of a German plane for the first time. But this time was different. This time they had left me there alone.
Different
A Story of the Spanish Civil War
Written by Mónica Montañés
Illustrated by Eva Sánchez Gómez
Translated by Lawrence Schimel
Releases: 11/1/2022
A resonant, captivating book about a brother and sister caught in a dark chapter of world history.
With extensive back matter on the period, this middle grade story is a stirring depiction of the Spanish Civil War, its tragic aftermath, and the timeless struggle for freedom from political violence.
