Content Warning: This section of the guide contains themes of displacement and challenges of military family life, including references to military deployment in conflict zones, military weapons, and fatality.

The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez blends magic and reality to bring to life the challenges of growing up in a military family. From never feeling settled to resenting “wannabe” military kids like Brandon, Nestor’s status as the child of a deployed soldier is central to his experience. Even as Nestor gets sucked into a magical adventure trying to catch the tule vieja, the realities of war and separation from Nestor’s father while he’s on deployment are never far from Nestor’s mind.

As the child of a soldier, Nestor has extra considerations and responsibilities to balance. When he writes letters to his father, he adheres to his mother’s mantra of “Always Be Positive. Always Be Happy” so as not to worry his father (43). However, this means Nestor often has to hold back from truly expressing himself or sharing his life with his father:

It doesn’t matter that I drew a complete blank today when my math teacher asked where I was from […] While Dad is halfway across the world, as far as he’s concerned, everything is fine.