The Only Road
4.5/5
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About this ebook
ALA NOTABLE BOOK
“An important, must-have addition to the growing body of literature with immigrant themes.” —School Library Journal (starred review)
Twelve-year-old Jaime makes the treacherous and life-changing journey from his home in Guatemala to live with his older brother in the United States in this “powerful and timely” (Booklist, starred review) middle grade novel.
Jaime is sitting on his bed drawing when he hears a scream. Instantly, he knows: Miguel, his cousin and best friend, is dead.
Everyone in Jaime’s small town in Guatemala knows someone who has been killed by the Alphas, a powerful gang that’s known for violence and drug trafficking. Anyone who refuses to work for them is hurt or killed—like Miguel. With Miguel gone, Jaime fears that he is next. There’s only one choice: accompanied by his cousin Ángela, Jaime must flee his home to live with his older brother in New Mexico.
Inspired by true events, The Only Road is an individual story of a boy who feels that leaving his home and risking everything is his only chance for a better life. The story is “told with heartbreaking honesty,” Booklist raved, and “will bring readers face to face with the harsh realities immigrants go through in the hope of finding a better, safer life, and it will likely cause them to reflect on what it means to be human.”
Alexandra Diaz
Alexandra Diaz is the award-winning author of The Only Road, The Crossroads, Santiago’s Road Home, and Farewell Cuba, Mi Isla. The Only Road was a Pura Belpré Honor Book and won the Américas Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature, as well as numerous other accolades. Santiago’s Road Home was an International Latino Book Award gold medalist and an ALA Notable Children’s Book. Farewell Cuba, Mi Isla was a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year, received the Teacher’s Favorites Award from the Children’s Book Council, and received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal. Alexandra is the daughter of Cuban refugees and a native Spanish speaker. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but got her master’s in writing for young people at Bath Spa University in England. Visit her at Alexandra-Diaz.com.
Read more from Alexandra Diaz
The Crossroads Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Farewell Cuba, Mi Isla Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
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Reviews for The Only Road
22 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jaime and his cousin are sent to try to make it from Guatemala to el norte after their cousin is murdered by a local gang who tries to recruit them as well. A harrowing journey, they try to travel the 4000 miles to make it New Mexico to Jamie's brother. Faced with dangerous encounters and the need to raise money, the two are successful where many of the other characters with whom their paths cross have not been. A look at the motivations for some to leave home and risk life and limb to get to America.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5When Miguel's cousin is murdered by a local gang, his family scrounges together enough money to send Miguel and another cousin, Angela, to the United States where they will join his brother Tomas. Unfortunately, due to the family's desperate situation, this journey is not done through legal routes, forcing the children to make difficult and dangerous decisions as they pass through their home of Guatemala and into Mexico towards the United States.This book starts with a shocking death and quickly moves to the children fleeing their hometown. Other books on this topic mean well but often sound rather didactic. This title walks that fine line between teaching about current events and having a thrilling story with compelling characters. While I generally had faith that Miguel and Angela would be alright, there were certainly moments that tested my belief. In addition, I knew that other characters might not fare as easily. In short, the tension was there to keep the reader engaged, flipping pages to see what will happen next.That being said, the book doesn't get too into the gory details about the violence and desperation, although they are certainly frequent topics. There are several oblique mentions to sexual violence without naming it. I suppose this is all in keeping with a book designed for a young audience; the author doesn't necessarily shy away from the issues but she doesn't choose to grotesquely wallow in them either.