The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child

Cajas de Carton

• Genre: Fiction; young adult short story collection
• Originally Published: 1996
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 880L; grades 5-7
• Structure/Length: 12 short stories; approx. 134 pages; approx. 3 hours, 36 minutes on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: In 12 intertwined short stories, Francisco Jiménez tells his story from the perspective of Panchito, the child of migrant farm workers. As they move from one camp to the next, Panchito’s family endures poverty, but also great faith and hope.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Illegal immigration; deportation; racism; prejudice; migrant farm labor

Francisco Jiménez, Author

• Bio: Born in 1943 in Tlaquepaque, Mexico; second oldest of eight children; family immigrated to California when he was four to work as migrant farm workers; family moved with the seasons of crops, so he missed months of school every year; family was deported in 2008, but returned legally a few months later; settled in a migrant labor camp in Santa Maria, California; attended Santa Clara University and received a degree in Spanish; became a US Citizen during his junior year; received a Master’s degree and Ph.D. in Latin American Literature from Columbia University; co-founder of scholarly journal The Bilingual Review; had an elementary school named after him in 2015; received commendations from Congress, the Department of Education, the California State Senate, and the governor of the state of Jalisco, Mexico
• Other Works: La Mariposa (1998); The Christmas Gift (2000); Breaking Through (2002); Reaching Out (2008)
• Awards: The Américas Award for Children and Young Adult Literature (1997); The Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction (1998); John and Patricia Beatty Award (1998); American Library Association’s Best Book for Young Adults (1999)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• The Value of Family
• The Challenges of the Immigrant Experience
• The Importance of Education

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

• Gain an understanding of the social and cultural contexts regarding migrant children in the US, the grueling nature of agricultural work in California, and other topics surrounding immigration that shape the stories in The Circuit.
• Study paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of The Value of Family, The Challenges of the Immigrant Experience, and The Importance of Education.
• Study archival photos from Francisco Jiménez’s life and draw upon their imaginative powers to craft a scene based on a photo of their choice, all while emulating the style and tone of The Circuit.
• Analyze and evaluate the plot and character details to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding Mamá’s and Papá’s values, how the narrator can experience loneliness even while living in cramped quarters with his family, and other topics.