Santiago's Road HomeSantiago's Road Home

Three starred reviews! "Harrowing but deeply illuminating." -School Library Journal A young boy gets detained by ICE while crossing the border from Mexico to the United States in this timely and unflinching novel by award-winning author Alexandra Diaz. The bed creaks under Santiago's shivering body. They say a person's life flashes by before dying. But it's not his whole life. Just the events that led to this. The important ones, and the ones Santiago would rather forget. The coins in Santiago's hand are meant for the bus fare back to his abusive abuela's house. Except he refuses to return; he won't be missed. His future is uncertain until he meets the kind, maternal María Dolores and her young daughter, Alegría, who help Santiago decide what comes next: He will accompany them to el otro lado, the United States of America. They embark with little, just backpacks with water and a bit of food. To travel together will require trust from all parties, and Santiago is used to going it alone. None of the three travelers realizes that the journey through Mexico to the border is just the beginning of their story. 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. "Timothy Andres Pabon's narration merges Spanish and English, high emotions, and tension in this audiobook. Since his mother's death when he was 5, Santiago has been shuffled among relatives who neglect and abuse him. Pabon expresses the 12-year-old's resignation, then a glimmer an idea. Might he escape from Mexico to the U.S.? Pabon contrasts Santiago's original hopelessness with the kindness of a single mother and a little girl who welcome him into their family. Their bond builds as the trio take on the threats of murdering coyote guides, grueling desert travel, and, the worst, separation from each other. Pabon also stresses Santiago's resilience and growing hope amid the horrors of a detention center. This heartfelt story personalizes the injustices suffered by refugee youth."