Kid Quixotes – The Book
Kid Quixotes
by Stephen Haff
Still Waters in a Storm is an after-school program held in a small room in Bushwick, Brooklyn; it is a place for kids to practice reading and writing in English, Spanish, and Latin. For the students, many living in constant fear of deportation, Still Waters is a refuge. For Stephen Haff, a former public-school teacher, it is the sanctuary he built following a breakdown caused by bipolar depression. At Still Waters, all agreed that there would only be one rule: “Everyone listens to everyone.” And this has unlocked spectacular potential.
Since 2016, the students have been collectively translating Don Quixote into English, taking the Spanish tale—a story about a dreamer who never gives up—and adapting it into a bilingual musical. Six-year old Sarah tells of her mother’s journey across the desert from Mexico riding on the back of a tiger. Alex, a very private teenager, sings her coming out song to standing ovations. As the kids perform their work across NYC, they learn that they belong in this country—their voices amplifying to deliver a message of diversity, love, hope, and resilience essential to us all.
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Read an excerpt from the book.
For Literary Inquiries please contact Johanna Castillo at Writers House: jcastillo@writershouse.com / @jcastillobooks
Check out the children’s companion book, Becoming Kid Quixote, by Sarah Sierra, also available through HarperCollins.
Winner!
2021 International Latino Book Award
Presented by legendary community leader and activist Dolores Huerta, Kid Quixotes was awarded The Dolores Huerta Best Community Service Themed Book award. The International Latino Book Awards recognize greatness in literature – honoring authors, translators and illustrators for their books written either in English, Spanish y Portuguese. The ILBA judges described Kid Quixotes as an ‘Inspiring tale of teachers inspiring their students to see beyond the borders of their borough.’
Winner!
2020 New York City Book Award
Both Kid Quixotes: A Group of Students, Their Teacher, and the One-Room School Where Everything is Possible and Becoming Kid Quixote: A True Story of Belonging in America have won the New York City Book Awards Hornblower Award for a First Book, honoring the best books about New York City published in a given year! Attend the New York City Book Awards ceremony online on Wednesday, June 9 at 6pm EST. Click here to watch!