The Most Beautiful Place in the World by Ann Cameron

After being abandoned by both parents, Juan ends up living with his grandmother in San Pedro, Guatemala.  While there, he feels lost and unimportant until his grandmother begins taking him to work as a shoe shiner.  But when he sees other children going to school, he gets the motivation to go too.

Although this book is for grades 3-5, it felt as if it could have been written for younger audiences.  The simple syntax made it an easy read, but still touching in accordance to what Juan endured at such an early age.

Despite being a touching book, I felt that the moral ending didn't match Juan's story.  Having been abandoned and then to have to work to earn his place seemed far off from the theme of how love can make a place beautiful.  The grandmother's devotion was not realized early on and the book rarely talked about beautiful places.  Perhaps if it was a longer story, it could have achieved this theme.