Fourteen-year old Maria Cecilia Gonzales is a dreamer. Her books carry her far away, beyond the purple and blue mountains of the farm community she lives in-to high school and then on to a job in the big city. As Cecilia struggles to fulfill her goals, she experiences a deep appreciation for her family and the first tender feelings of romantic love. Susan and Denise Gonzales Abraham have woven the story of Cecilia's dreams into the months of the year, the land and the crops, and the routine life on a farm.

 

This book is the winner of numerous awards. It was recognised in the Best Books - YA category by the Texas Institute of Letters. It was recognised by the Foreword Indies Book of the Year Award. It also was recognised in the Books for Teens category by the New York Public Library Awards.

This book is part of a book series called Latino Fiction For Young Adults .

This book has been graded for interest at 9-12 years.

There are 210 pages in this book. This book was published 2007 by Cinco Puntos Press, U. S. .

Susan and Denise Gonzales Abraham are daughters of Cecilia Gonzales Abraham, the title character of Cecilia's Year. The sisters were born and raised in El Paso, and they both graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso with a B. S. in Education. Denise Gonzales Abraham received a master's degree in reading education from Arizona State University. She has taught Spanish, English, reading skills, and English as a second language in Phoenix, Arizona, and El Paso, and is currently an elementary school librarian with the Ysleta Independent School District in El Paso. She lives with her son James Carlo and seven cats.