This is a great book that teachers should add to their 6th-8th grade library. Students may be able to relate to the character of this novel or feel empathy towards other students like him. You can connect this book to instruction in social studies when talking about immigration. This book follows a boy named Santiago who is fleeing Mexico after being abused by his caregivers. Santiago encounters a woman and her daughter on their way to cross the U.S. Mexican border and decided to join them. They encounter many obstacles on this journey, and they even almost die in the desert due to the heat. They grow very close as a family. Then, they are found, separated, and detained at a government facility where Santiago is left with uncertainty of his future for several months. This is a heart touching story that explores some of the difficulties people face behind immigration. ( )

SPOILERS: Santiago flees abusive relatives in Mexico and joins up with Maria Dolores and Alegria, a young woman and her daughter, to journey to el otro lado, the U.S. After their coyote is murdered in a drive-by they attempt the journey by foot but are overcome by the desert atmosphere. They are rescued but other than a drawing by Alegria smuggled in to him, Santiago never sees either of them during his six months in the detention center. Powerful and eye-opening, this drives home for young readers the appalling treatment and conditions refugees currently face when they seek asylum in the U.S. Readers will empathize with Santiago's plight and the tension of not knowing what comes next for him. ( )