Summary
This book follows a young boy running away from an abusive home for a better life in the United States. On his way across the border, he is detained by ICE. While detained, he meets a mother and daughter that are also going to the United States. When they are all release the main character must make a choice to continue the journey or go back home. He decides to continue the journey with little food and little water in hopes of a better life in the United States.
Theme(s):
Loss, Family, Friendship
Personal Response
This book does a great job of highlighting the experience of people crossing the border and the challenges they face. Often I feel that the news and reports only highlight immigrants coming over for a better life financially with more opportunities, which is highlighted in the book. Still, it also shows that many are leaving homes of abuse and neglect. Fairly often, that story is never highlighted in the news. If it was, others would be empathetic and sympathetic to people making the journey.
Teaching Ideas
When applying this book to my classroom, I would have students read this book and then complete current events related to the border between the United States and Mexico. As mentioned above, the news only highlights the bad and the implications of people crossing the border. Students would be tasked with finding the positives from the immigrant’s point of view of why they have taken the journey. I would want students to think about how the narrative can be changed.
Recommended Reading Level
Grade 03, Grade 04, Grade 05, Grade 06, Grade 07
