Santiago's Road Home by Diaz, Alexandra

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 Mar a Dolores and her young daughter, Alegr a, 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.

Author: Alexandra Diaz
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
Published: 05/05/2020
Pages: 336
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 8.00h x 5.60w x 1.30d
ISBN: 9781534446236
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.2
Point Value: 9
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 511356 / Santiago's Road Home


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 03/15/2020 pg. 120
Booklist 04/15/2020 pg. 73
School Library Journal 05/01/2020 pg. 55
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 05/01/2020
Publishers Weekly 05/25/2020
Horn Book Magazine 09/01/2020 pg. 87
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2020 - Superior,Well Above Average

About the Author
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, was selected as a Children's Book Council Teacher's Favorite title, and received two starred reviews. 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.