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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
i really enjoyed this. the first half of the book was a bit underwhelming, but in the second half things really picked up and i absolutely adored it. i specifically adored what liliana did with the wall. i am white, so i cant really speak about if the rep is being done right or not, but what i did feel was that it was very educational and impactful for me. and the ending was beautiful, im so happy for liliana.
3.5 stars
I don’t really have a lot to say about this one, so I’ll try to keep this very short. I thought this was a really good novel in terms of the characters and the themes it explores. I really appreciated the way Lilliana’s character was developed throughout the story and I thought the way she responds to the METCO program and the way her experience at her new school was explored was done really well. I do wish that some of the plotlines had been tied together a little better and that we had gotten to see more of the side characters, but overall, this was a really enjoyable read.
I don’t really have a lot to say about this one, so I’ll try to keep this very short. I thought this was a really good novel in terms of the characters and the themes it explores. I really appreciated the way Lilliana’s character was developed throughout the story and I thought the way she responds to the METCO program and the way her experience at her new school was explored was done really well. I do wish that some of the plotlines had been tied together a little better and that we had gotten to see more of the side characters, but overall, this was a really enjoyable read.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The story grabbed me on the first page and held on until the last. Lilliana is chosen for a program out of her inner-city Boston high school for an "integrated" school in the suburbs. (Read: bussing in kids of color). She makes friends with other kids in the program as well as upper-middle class suburbanites. Her identity becomes stronger as she experiences these new friendships.
Lilliana never knew her parents were undocumented and now her dad has been deported. What does this mean for her family? I have kids in my own classroom who could relate to Lili's story. I hope they get a chance to read about her in order to look into the literary mirror this will be for them.
*The only reason for 4 stars instead of 5: In once scene, Lili forgets her phone and has to use the office line to call her mother. However, that same day she is texting her boyfriend. Maybe I missed a device somewhere, but it seemed incongruent.
Lilliana never knew her parents were undocumented and now her dad has been deported. What does this mean for her family? I have kids in my own classroom who could relate to Lili's story. I hope they get a chance to read about her in order to look into the literary mirror this will be for them.
*The only reason for 4 stars instead of 5: In once scene, Lili forgets her phone and has to use the office line to call her mother. However, that same day she is texting her boyfriend. Maybe I missed a device somewhere, but it seemed incongruent.
Liliana is a Latinx high school student in Boston. Her father has disappeared, but he has left before, though not for as long. Lili is accepted to a program called METCO, which is meant to desegregate schools. She starts going to a predominantly white school in a wealthy neighbourhood. The problem with the program is that Lili is still treated as an “other.” The METCO students are separated in social situations from the other students in the school, which further segregates them. Things get out of hand when Lili and the other students face racism from students and teachers. Lili has to figure out a way to fight back and show the world who they are.
This is a painfully honest story. Lili and the other students had to deal with some horrible racist situations from both students and teachers. It was really disturbing to see the teachers also making inappropriate comments. Lili also had a hard time at home because her father was gone. There were undocumented immigrants in her family, and it seemed like a problem that would be impossible to solve.
Even though METCO was a program created to bring students of different backgrounds to the school, it actually segregated the students more. Instead of being part of their whole school, the small group of students stayed together. The point of the program was to give them more opportunities in schooling, yet they were not guaranteed these opportunities even if they worked hard. These kinds of programs may be created with good intentions, but they need to fully integrate the students in the school, rather than separating them in their own group.
This is a must read book! I loved it!
Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a painfully honest story. Lili and the other students had to deal with some horrible racist situations from both students and teachers. It was really disturbing to see the teachers also making inappropriate comments. Lili also had a hard time at home because her father was gone. There were undocumented immigrants in her family, and it seemed like a problem that would be impossible to solve.
Even though METCO was a program created to bring students of different backgrounds to the school, it actually segregated the students more. Instead of being part of their whole school, the small group of students stayed together. The point of the program was to give them more opportunities in schooling, yet they were not guaranteed these opportunities even if they worked hard. These kinds of programs may be created with good intentions, but they need to fully integrate the students in the school, rather than separating them in their own group.
This is a must read book! I loved it!
Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I found the main character kind of unlikable so she made me mad a lot... but I still somewhat liked other things about this book since I'm also latinx!
It’s Latinx Heritage month, and I wanted to read some books by not only Latina authors, but also books that explored subjects trending now. I picked one that hit it head on with Jennifer de Leon’s Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From. This YA read takes a close look at diversity, segregation and current political atmospheres in the lives of young teens. It’s a story with an obvious political agenda, and one that really opens your eyes to the issues at hand that tend to get overlooked.
The story follows Lilliana Cruz, a freshman in highschool, who finds out soon after starting the school year that she was “awarded” a position in the Boston Metco program. For those of you like me who have never heard of this, it is a real organization that helps transport inner city kids to more prestigious schools in the suburbs. In theory it's a great way to get kids a better education and it encourages diversity. What we find out with Lilly’s story is it doesn’t really prevent segregation within the school and really it just points out the failing education systems in America. The whole first part of the book after Lilly transfers we see the METCO kids all on their own not intermingled with the rest of the student body, we see them be treated as outsiders, even among themselves, and we experience teachers treating them differently because they may need to “catch up” or might lack the necessary supplies, like computers, at home. There is a lot of stereotyping happening in this book, which reflects real life, sadly.
While Lilly is learning to adapt to a new school full of “rich white kids” she is also trying to make new friends, juggle a secret boyfriend, and then finds out her parents are undocumented and her dad has been deported to Gautamala. Take all that while the news is full of talk of the President’s new wall, and let me tell you, I would have cracked. Lilly is fierce though. She learns to speak up, and stick up for herself in the face of adversity. Through a series of METCO meetings and a diversity assembly thrown into the mix, Lily learns to use her own voice to make change. Towards the end of the book, de Leon writes, “But a wall isn’t always a barrier. It can be a foundation for something better. Lilliana had to choose, use this foundation as a platform to speak her truth, or risk crumbling under its weight.”
I loved this story. The narrator on the audiobook version, Ines del Castillo, gave the characters, especially Lilly, life. There was a good amount of teenage drama, some sassy attitude and a lot of focus on the hardships of underprivileged America. It's a book that makes you stop and think about your own actions, and how you can become more aware and help push change. The only thing that prevented my five star rating was that it was definitely a highschool book, which is a risk you take with the YA section. Some are great no matter what your age, others are meant for highschoolers, and this was one of those. The highschool drama is something I left behind long ago, but I will say it also put a unique spin on the diversity issues in the United States. We often think of the political agendas and diversity awareness as things that only affect adults, we rarely stop to see it from a kids point of view, so I am thankful for that perspective.
The story follows Lilliana Cruz, a freshman in highschool, who finds out soon after starting the school year that she was “awarded” a position in the Boston Metco program. For those of you like me who have never heard of this, it is a real organization that helps transport inner city kids to more prestigious schools in the suburbs. In theory it's a great way to get kids a better education and it encourages diversity. What we find out with Lilly’s story is it doesn’t really prevent segregation within the school and really it just points out the failing education systems in America. The whole first part of the book after Lilly transfers we see the METCO kids all on their own not intermingled with the rest of the student body, we see them be treated as outsiders, even among themselves, and we experience teachers treating them differently because they may need to “catch up” or might lack the necessary supplies, like computers, at home. There is a lot of stereotyping happening in this book, which reflects real life, sadly.
While Lilly is learning to adapt to a new school full of “rich white kids” she is also trying to make new friends, juggle a secret boyfriend, and then finds out her parents are undocumented and her dad has been deported to Gautamala. Take all that while the news is full of talk of the President’s new wall, and let me tell you, I would have cracked. Lilly is fierce though. She learns to speak up, and stick up for herself in the face of adversity. Through a series of METCO meetings and a diversity assembly thrown into the mix, Lily learns to use her own voice to make change. Towards the end of the book, de Leon writes, “But a wall isn’t always a barrier. It can be a foundation for something better. Lilliana had to choose, use this foundation as a platform to speak her truth, or risk crumbling under its weight.”
I loved this story. The narrator on the audiobook version, Ines del Castillo, gave the characters, especially Lilly, life. There was a good amount of teenage drama, some sassy attitude and a lot of focus on the hardships of underprivileged America. It's a book that makes you stop and think about your own actions, and how you can become more aware and help push change. The only thing that prevented my five star rating was that it was definitely a highschool book, which is a risk you take with the YA section. Some are great no matter what your age, others are meant for highschoolers, and this was one of those. The highschool drama is something I left behind long ago, but I will say it also put a unique spin on the diversity issues in the United States. We often think of the political agendas and diversity awareness as things that only affect adults, we rarely stop to see it from a kids point of view, so I am thankful for that perspective.
I loved this book! It explores the multifaceted identity of a young Latinx woman, while shining a light on how racism and classism play out in an American school.
I really liked the message this book sends about education and how segregated our schools are- one of the kids compares herself to Ruby Bridges and it’s very true. I loved how “don’t ask me where I’m from” tied in throughout the book. I liked that it’s YA but very real with some of the very heavy things teens carry.