91 pages • 3 hours read
Christina Diaz GonzalezThe Red Umbrella
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2010A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 1-4Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 1 Summary: “Castro Rules Out Elections in Cuba —The New York Times, May 2, 1961”
The novel begins in 1961 Cuba. Lucia and her little brother Frankie are enjoying a day at the beach after learning that public schools will be closed for “evaluations” for an undisclosed period. Lucia is 14 years old. She is excited for the time off from school and her boring teachers, though she will miss her friends, especially a boy named Manuel, whom she has a crush on. At the beach, Lucia witnesses several military vehicles charging down the road, and she and her brother head home.
Fidel Castro and his revolutionaries are taking over schools and businesses, but Lucia is not concerned with politics. She is unaware of the violence and danger that is closing in on her hometown of Puerto Mijares.
Lucia and Frankie return home to find their parents sitting in the dark, listening to a political speech on the kitchen radio. Lucia realizes something is wrong because of her parents’ strange behavior. The chapter closes with the phrase “socialism or death” barking out from the radio.
Chapter 2 Summary: “U.S. Brands Cuba Communist State, Says Castro Outdoes Soviet in Barring Vote, Likens His Rallies to Hitler’s —The New York Times, May 3, 1961”
This chapter begins with Lucia choosing her outfit for a day of fun with her best friend, Ivette. She is excited for another day off from school, and she wants to spend the day at the movies with Ivette.
