Becoming Naomi León

Infobox Book |
name = Becoming Naomi León
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption = Cover
author = Pam Muñoz Ryan
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series =
genre = Children's novel
publisher = Scholastic Press
release_date = October 1, 2005| english_release_date =
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages = 246 pages
isbn = ISBN-13: 978-0-439-26997|

"Becoming Naomi León" is a book by Pam Muñoz Ryan about a quiet girl living with her great-grandmother and brother Owen. Little do they know that they are about to be taken on a whirlwind journey and a desperate search for her father.

Plot Summary

Life seems pleasant and quiet at Avocado Acres in Lemon Tree, California until the day their mother (Skyla Jones as she likes to be called) re-appers after seven years. With her arrival, she starts to stir up all sorts of questions. After one afternoon from coming back from one of Owens regular routine check-ups, their mother gets infuriated and forced Naomi to go to Las Vegas with her and Clive, Skyla's current boyfriend. Naomi says to Owen that the only reason that they want to take her is because Clive needs a babysitter for his 11 year-old daughter Sapphire. She also says that she's nothing special, as she says in the beginning of the book. Gram is determined to fight for the children and the rightful guardianship. Then she takes the kids on a whirl-wind journey accompanied by their neighbors Fabiola and Bernardo Morales to the city of Oaxaca, Mexico. There they go on a quest in which Naomi is determined to find their father, whom Owen and Naomi have not seen, and later revealed that Skyla prevented him from contacting or seeing them. In the end, Naomi states that she has found her father and discovered her mother. The story ends well, with Gram granted guardianship. Life then returns to what it was before.

Characters

Naomi a quiet girl who has lived with her brother Owen and great-grandmother for most of her life. She has never had many memories of her father except for one memory right before her mother dropped them off at the door of Gram.

Owen a chipper and mostly cheerful boy who is Naomi's brother. Despite having some issues with his body, he always makes the best of everything. Like Naomi, he had never remembered much about his father. People were usually fooled by his looks, thinking that he was low in school, but contrary to people's opinions, he got the best grades.

Gram the sixty-nine year-old great-grandmother who raised Naomi and Owen for most of their lives. When her granddaughter, the children's mother, came back, she took them for a frantic search for her grandson-in-law. She is mostly determined and spirited. She devotes most of her life to Naomi and Owen.

Skyla Jones Naomi and Owen's mother who all of a sudden reappeared after seven years. When she dropped off the kids seven years ago, she is revealed that she has had major alcohol abuse and irrational behavior. She is mostly pushy and unhappy, except with her boyfriend Clive.

In the end Naomi states, " I have discovered my mother and father. It was funny how Sklya was nice in a mean way and mean in a nice way. There it was again, the good and bad all rolled into a meatball."