Just as Velazquez advocates an artistic truthfulness that reveals the inner life of the subject as well as the outward appearance, I, Juan de Pareja presents inner truths as well as accurate historical facts. In her Newbery Award acceptance speech, Trevino declared, "I, Juan de Pareja tells a story I learned, loved, and researched many years before it was written." Her careful research shows everywhere. Seville and its people are colorfully portrayed; life in Madrid is presented in complex detail, creating the sense that Trevino herself visited the city and knew the people. The careful reconstruction of seventeenth-century Spain provides a realistic backdrop for the events of Pareja's life.

This well-constructed backdrop adds depth and believability to the novel's main characters. Trevino transcends the facts of history to examine the humanity of the people who made that history. Little is known about Velazquez's and Pareja's actual...