The Circuit
- So in the last chapter Francisco and his family were picking cotton in November, but by the beginning of this one, we've fast-forwarded to summer and it's the end of strawberry season. It's time to move to Fresno again, and Francisco is extra bummed this time. He's seriously tired of all this shuffling around trying to find work.
- The next day, they pack up the car and head off. They find work for a dude named Mr. Sullivan. He let's Francisco and his fam live in his garage, which are kinda gross new digs filled with worms, but they make it work.
- The next day the grape picking starts and it is hard—since there's so much work to do with all the grapes, Roberto and Francisco don't start school until the season is over.
- By November, Francisco and his family have stripped all the grapes. Roberto has to start picking cotton, but Francisco gets to go to school, which makes him kinda nervous.
- When he gets to school, Francisco has to remember how to talk in English again. He ends up in a sixth-grade classroom with a cool teacher named Mr. Lema. There's an awkward moment in class where Francisco is asked to read aloud and he can't, but Mr. Lema is super nice about it and at lunch he starts helping Francisco learn to read English better. Yay.
- Francisco has a pretty great month working with Mr. L., and his new teacher-friend even says he'll teach Francisco to play the trumpet.
- So—of course—when Francisco gets home, it's time to move again. Ugh.