Alaexandra Diaz’ La travesía de Santiago is an impactful chapter book. This book addresses what the difficulties families with young children face when they attempt to immigrate into the United States with the use of Coyotes. While Diaz says this is a fictional story, many of the situations and events are taken from narrative experiences of people she interviewed who actually lived that odyssey.
The story describes 12-year-old Santiago's immigrant journey to the United States. Santiago desires to escape domestic violence and the hunger pangs of poverty. When he meets a single mother, Dolores and her daughter
he sees a way out by traveling with them to "el norte." The trio cross desert terrain that almost claims their lives. Readers heart will sink as they read about the conditions in which child prisoners of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) endure while in their custody. Kirkus Review (2020) explains that the story “ delves into an uncomfortable and bleak modern reality: one where children are held captive at underfunded, psychologically scarring detention centers.”
This story will definitely cause readers to think about the courage, difficulties, and challenges immigrants face when they embark into an unknown world. Find out whether Santiago gets to leave a broken home behind, whether he is able to make a better life in the states, or if he is deported to an abusive home. Grades 3 -7.
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