SYNOPSIS

Efrén, a middle schooler and good older brother, agrees to manage his rowdy best friend’s campaign for school president not for passion for government or social justice or winning – but because he’s a good friend. Efrén’s life takes a terrifying turn when his mother (an undocumented immigrant) is arrested and deported to Mexico. Efrén not only becomes caretaker for his siblings while dad works around the clock; he also travels to Mexico to give mom coyote money for an attempted return home. Mom fails to come back, and Efrén almost loses his best friend when he decides to also run for school president. He wants to educate his community about the plight of undocumented families and fight prejudice at school. Efrén’s humongous tribulations inspire him to “be the change he wanted to see.”

PERFECT AGE 9-14

We love

• Realistically told from the point of view of a middle-schooler
• Efrén’s mom is Mom Goals
• Thoughtful, insightful treatment of a very difficult subject – ICE raids, family separations, cross-border smuggling
• Efrén is kind, reflective and wise beyond his age – a wonderful role model for any young boy out there

WATCH OUT FOR (Language, Big / Sensitive Topics, Outdated Concepts):

• ICE raids, deportation and illegal border crossings are key to the story – a family is left asunder without a happy resolution:
• If looking to introduce these topics to your child, this is a good narrative to use
• Consider previewing the subject matter with your reader and also spend time discussing it afterwards
• The text is interspersed with Spanish words and phrases; tell your reader to look them up in the glossary at the back of the book (if the phrases are unfamiliar to them)

CONVERSATION STARTERS

• How did you feel reading about Efrén’s trip to Mexico? Did you find anything confusing?
• Why do you think Efrén decided to run for school president?
• If you could support or encourage Efrén in any way while he adjusts to life without his mom, what would you do?
• This is a very difficult story to accept and unfortunately it happens to some families. Do you have any questions I can help answer?