Authors: Belén Garcia-Alvarado and Alan Venable

More people should know about this astonishing Mexican-American hero of the Old West. This historical account begins with General Mariano Vallejo's childhood in Monterrey, California as the son of a Spanish soldier who had helped to found the Mission at San Francisco in 1776.

Mariano had some great adventures growing up on the wild California coast. When he was 14, Mexico won its independence from Spain. Tutored by the Mexican governor of California, Mariano developed a strong respect for democracy and the founders of the U.S. republic.

As a young officer in the Mexican army, Mariano went north to block the intrusion of European powers around San Francisco Bay. He built a huge ranch, raised a family, fostered positive relations with the Native Americans, and founded the city of Sonoma. In 1846, when rebellious Americans stole California from Mexico, Mariano put his own life on the line to prevent the outbreak of full-scale war.

In this first-person narrative, he tells his own story right up through his funeral in 1890. Intelligent, proud, generous, and humorous, Mariano Vallejo recounts the founding of California and welcomes us all to its bounties.

The Start-to-Finish Advantage! – This audio book is like NO OTHER! We start by writing and editing our text to specifically support students who struggle with reading grade-level text fluently and with comprehension. In addition, we add auditory support that includes thoughtful pacing, inflection and accentuation to engage the listener throughout the entire story. This Start-to-Finish Gold Library book is perfect for the middle- and high-school curriculum to support readers who need age-appropriate resources written at a lower readability. The readability of the printed text is 2-3rd grade.

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