You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
challenging
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
hopeful
inspiring
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:
No
Overall, this is a great contemporary with some really cool perspectives that I haven’t seen before!
I really loved Liliana as a character. She was strong, kind, thoughtful, and so much more and I really loved being inside her head. I also loved the different race issues that were brought up. The family element to this story was great and I enjoyed the storyline about her father. I also loved the way that Liliana was learning new things as well! The book taught me a lot about the racism POC face daily and how divided we still are.
The one thing that I didn’t like as much was the writing style. It is written in mostly slang and it’s a little choppy to show how Liliana is thinking. If that’s your thing, you will love this book, it’s just a personal preference for me.
I really loved Liliana as a character. She was strong, kind, thoughtful, and so much more and I really loved being inside her head. I also loved the different race issues that were brought up. The family element to this story was great and I enjoyed the storyline about her father. I also loved the way that Liliana was learning new things as well! The book taught me a lot about the racism POC face daily and how divided we still are.
The one thing that I didn’t like as much was the writing style. It is written in mostly slang and it’s a little choppy to show how Liliana is thinking. If that’s your thing, you will love this book, it’s just a personal preference for me.
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia
Minor: Child abuse
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I found this read a little formulaic, but I think teens will appreciate it more than I did. That's not to say that it is bad -- this was a great story about a first generation Guatemalan girl who joins her community's desegregation program that buses her out to the majority white high school in the wealthy suburbs. I have not read a modern book on this topic, and I think most people who are not directly involved in these programs don't know much about them, so this was a great read in that sense. In addition to dealing with the (almost expected) racism at her new school, Liliana struggles with her perception of herself as a person straddling two different cultures -- and then with the realization that her father has disappeared not because he has abandoned his family but because he was, unbenknownst to Liliana, deported for being undocumented. When she discovers that both of her parents are undocumented -- a fact they have hidden from her for her whole life -- Liliana's perspective on her whole life changes.