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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
a beautiful book teaching tweens and anyone really about the journey to cross the border and all the emotions it entails
Kill, be killed, or flee.
Those are the options for twelve-year-old Jaime and his older teen cousin, Angela. They can join the local gang and terrorize their beloved community. They can refuse and be beaten to death, like Jaime's best friend and Angela's brother, Miguel. Or they can leave everyone they love and everything they know to seek safety in a strange, far-off land.
They choose to leave Guatemala to illegally traverse the extent of Mexico in the hopes of joining Jaime's older brother, Tomas, who has established a life for himself in the United States. It's a harrowing journey filled with constant danger from myriad sources. Many of the traveling companions they meet along the way don't survive.
This is a vivid and moving story.
Those are the options for twelve-year-old Jaime and his older teen cousin, Angela. They can join the local gang and terrorize their beloved community. They can refuse and be beaten to death, like Jaime's best friend and Angela's brother, Miguel. Or they can leave everyone they love and everything they know to seek safety in a strange, far-off land.
They choose to leave Guatemala to illegally traverse the extent of Mexico in the hopes of joining Jaime's older brother, Tomas, who has established a life for himself in the United States. It's a harrowing journey filled with constant danger from myriad sources. Many of the traveling companions they meet along the way don't survive.
This is a vivid and moving story.
Loved the characters and description of locations. Writing drew me into the story and author's notes were great bonus at the end.
Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LSmgOhJ-7Y
Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LSmgOhJ-7Y
Important book, especially now. It gives a great understanding of the horrible reasons children/teens need to leave their countries and the nearly insurmountable obstacles they face. The book was slow-going early on, but I got more caught up as I connected more with the characters and I wanted to know if they'd make it.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Well, this book was difficult to read just like We Are Not From Here, which I finished not too long ago. I should have waited a bit longer to read a book about teenagers fleeing their homes in Guatemala to the relative safety of the U.S. Excellent book but stressed me out at times. Again, why are so many Americans against immigrants, especially those fleeing for their lives?
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Couldn't put this one down and ended up finishing it in one day. One of the 7th grade classes is reading Caminar so I was looking for a book to pair with that lesson. This one is about Jaime (12) and Angela (15) who are cousins and have to leave their small village in Guatemala after the local gang kills their relative (Miguel, who is Angela's brother and Jaime's cousin). This is told in first-person through Jaime and it really allows you a unique perspective into a young person who has to decide to join a gang of leave everything and everyone he knows in search of safety. The two set off and you follow their harrowing journey through Guatemala and Mexico as they head north via coyotes and La Bestia. I've read two other books with this plot line but both were too violent for most middle grade students. I like how Diaz handles this story and eludes to the violence but keeps it from getting too graphic. I think this is an important read for all middle grade students.