Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir

Mexikid, originally published in 2023, is a middle grade graphic memoir about a family road trip that took place during author Pedro Martín’s own childhood. During the trip to bring his grandfather back from Jalisco to California, Pedro learns more about his Mexican heritage, his family, and his grandfather’s life. In Mexikid, Martín employs tropes of a traditional coming-of-age narrative. It portrays Pedro’s growing ability to take on responsibilities and understand both himself and others. Pedro’s narration and the text's illustrations share the richness of his family life and heritage with humor, honesty, and warmth. Mexikid won a 2024 Newbery Honor Award and both the Pura Belpré 2024 Youth Illustrator Award and 2024 Children’s Author Award. Martín’s approach to subjects like death, suffering, and violence reflects sensitivity and respect.

This study guide refers to the Dial Books for Young Readers 2023 electronic edition of the text.

Plot Summary

In 1977, Pedro Martín lives with his large Mexican American family in Watsonville, California. With nine constantly bickering children, the family’s home already feels overcrowded, but his parents announce that the family will now drive the 2,000 miles to Jalisco, Mexico to pick up Pedro’s grandfather and bring him back to live with them in California. Pedro barely knows his grandfather and worries about his grandfather’s perspective on Pedro’s very American interests: comic books, Star Wars, and American television shows like Happy Days. Since Pedro was born in the United States and does not remember much from his infrequent visits to Mexico, he views his grandfather as a stern old man who is probably interested in things like knives and lassos. Pedro’s older sister tells him that their grandfather, who lived through the Mexican Revolution, has many interesting stories to tell, and that Pedro might enjoy having their grandfather around even if he doesn’t know much about things like Star Wars. Pedro’s mother and father pack up charity donations to take to Mexico and set out on the long drive—Pedro’s father drives Pedro’s mother and the four younger boys in the family Winnebago, and Pedro’s oldest brother, Sal, drives a truck carrying the five older siblings. Pedro is frustrated during the drive down through California because his father hates to waste money and refuses to stop at any of the tourist-trap attractions that excite Pedro.

When the family stops at the border, corrupt border agents steal many of their charity goods and some of the children’s possessions. The family stops in Tijuana to buy replacements, and Pedro, initially very upset about the loss of possessions that tie him to his American life and identity, is thrilled to discover the novel toys and foods available in Mexico. The mariachi music at the store—the exact kind of Mexican music that the younger children dislike and make fun of—causes Pedro’s father to let out a cry of happiness and sadness mixed together that is called a grito. Pedro doesn’t feel sufficiently Mexican to make this sound himself, so he makes do with a sound he has heard on American television—the “Ayyyy” sound made by the character Fonzie in Happy Days. As the family drives along dangerous mountain roads that afternoon, the Winnebago breaks down. Pedro sees the benefits of his father’s philosophy of always treating everyone with kindness when they stop in a small town to get the Winnebago repaired. Because of his father’s kindness to a waiter, the waiter’s cousin (a mechanic) takes very good care of the Winnebago and even offers them a list of other cousins along their route who can help them if needed.

When the family finally arrives in Pegueros, the village in Jalisco where Pedro’s parents are from, they set about cleaning and restocking their house there. One of Pedro’s many cousins convinces him to get a haircut from the local barber who has always cut their family’s hair. The man gives him a comically terrible haircut meant to look like the hair of Mexican superstar Vicente Fernández. The barber tells Pedro a story about how Pedro’s grandfather narrowly avoided being hanged by Catholic rebels during the Cristeros Rebellion. Pedro is impressed with his grandfather’s resourcefulness and fighting skills. This story only adds to his belief in his grandfather as a kind of superhero, despite his parents’ and older sister’s repeated attempts to give him a more realistic picture of his grandfather as a hard-working, tough, but relatively ordinary man. The next day, when the family goes out to see Pedro’s grandfather on his land, Pedro watches his grandfather working and realizes that he is still extraordinarily strong despite his age. When his grandfather shares a story about escaping from road bandits when he was younger, Pedro begins to think of him as a “Mexican Jedi.” While spending time with his grandfather, Pedro also begins to see how many of their family traditions and skills actually come from this one man.

Over the next three weeks, Pedro grows more and more comfortable in Mexico. He spends time with his cousins and even tries—unsuccessfully—to engage in a local courting tradition when he sees a pretty girl called Margarita. He feels a newfound confidence because of the legendary status his grandfather has taken on in his mind. He believes in his grandfather as a hero, and he believes others will treat him well because of who his grandfather is. As the time for school to resume nears, his older siblings leave to return to California on their own. His older sister, Lila, tells Pedro that he will need to be strong for their father and grandfather, as they are going through a difficult time, but she will not specify what the difficulty is or how Pedro will need to step up for his family. The situation becomes clear to Pedro when his father takes the younger siblings with him to a nearby town to purchase a child-sized casket and then takes them to the Pegueros cemetery to show them how an underground stream is threatening the cemetery’s burials. His father explains that the family will need to disinter his grandmother and move her remains to an above-ground tomb before Pedro’s grandfather will consent to leave Mexico. With the help of a cemetery worker, Pedro’s father and grandfather retrieve the grandmother’s remains and place them into the small casket. Moved by this experience, Pedro shows a new maturity when he helps his grandfather steady the casket on the ride home and then comforts his younger brother.

The extended family has a goodbye party for Pedro’s grandfather before he leaves for California. Feeling both the happy, loving atmosphere of the party and the sadness of the events at the cemetery at the same time, Pedro tries to release the grito he feels building in his chest, but remains unsuccessful. He thinks that this means he is not Mexican enough. He has mixed feelings when it is time to start back for the United States: He feels sad to be leaving Mexico, but also intrigued by his father’s plan to take a more scenic route back through the Baja Peninsula and actually allow the family to do some sightseeing. As they drive, Pedro tries to get to know his grandfather better. He hopes to hear daring stories of adventure, but his grandfather is mostly interested in talking about his mules. When his grandfather takes Pedro’s drawing materials to show him how to draw a mule, Pedro is impressed with his grandfather’s skill and wonders if his own artistic abilities are an inheritance from this man. At one stop along the way, Pedro and his brothers are cheated by a boy selling fake fireworks. Still misunderstanding his grandfather’s real nature, Pedro tries to get his grandfather to avenge them by beating up the boy and his relatives. His grandfather refuses and, for the first time, Pedro begins to wonder if his ideas about Abuelito are mostly fantasy. When real fireworks begin to explode later, Pedro thinks that, just as he had to be patient and wait to see the real fireworks, he might need to be patient and wait to see his grandfather’s real strength.

After the family crosses to Cabo San Lucas on a ferry, they continue north, and Pedro’s father gives him a driving lesson. Nervous and unsure he is ready for such a responsibility, Pedro takes the wheel. He hits so many potholes that he wakes the rest of the family, who have been napping in the back. They stop when the road is blocked by traffic. When Pedro’s grandfather worries that someone may need help, Pedro complains to his brothers that their grandfather cares about strangers in the road, but wasn’t willing to help his own grandchildren with the boy who sold them fake fireworks. His brother tells him to grow up and be his own hero instead of relying on others. The family discovers the cause of the stopped traffic—people are waiting to refuel from a gas truck—so Pedro’s family waits along with everyone else. Later, Pedro’s grandfather draws him a picture of Pedro’s father as a boy, hunting rabbits with a slingshot. Pedro’s parents and grandfather explain to him that killing animals is only acceptable if it is for food, and they stress how important it is to not make an animal suffer unnecessarily.

The crossing of the border going north is less eventful than the family’s earlier crossing to the south, and they are soon in Los Angeles, where they stay with family friends. The friends host a party to welcome Pedro’s grandfather to the United States. Pedro overhears his grandfather talking, and for the first time he realizes that he is not the only one who had reservations about his grandfather coming to live with them—his grandfather has reservations, too. His mother explains that people can be happy and sad at the same time. She compares Pedro’s grandfather to an avocado—tough on the outside, but full of nourishment and containing a seed for the future. When she tells Pedro that he is that seed, Pedro is proud to be the legacy of a man like his grandfather.

As the family finally gets close to home, a car ahead of them hits a deer. Thinking it dead, Pedro’s father places it in the motorhome’s bathroom shower, but the deer is very much alive and begins thrashing around and crying out in pain and terror. Pedro is horrified and tries to get the adults to do something to help the animal, but they are paralyzed—unable to think of how to fix the situation without risking someone being hurt. They decide it is best to just try to get home as quickly as possible. Pedro, however, cannot stand to think of the animal suffering. He tries to comfort it and then tries to perform a surgery to lessen its pain, but he only has a dull knife and ends up getting kicked by the deer. Finally, his grandfather hauls him out of the bathroom and the adults make him sit quietly while the deer gradually expires. Pedro feels very angry and does not understand the choices the adults around him have made. When they finally get home, he retreats to his room, but even his beloved comic books do not comfort him. Now, they just seem boring; his world feels very different than before he left for Mexico.

The family makes the deer into large quantities of birria and hosts a party. Pedro sits outside on the porch by himself, refusing to participate in the laughter and storytelling inside. His sister comes outside and talks to him, explaining that one day he himself will tell the deer story and feel proud of how he behaved. She says that, even now, his father and grandfather are telling the story and portraying him as the hero. He has grown up a lot since the family first left for Mexico, she says. When Pedro finally goes inside, his grandfather offers a respectful toast to Pedro. Filled with happiness and sadness at the same time, Pedro is finally able to cry out his first real grito.