PURA BELPRÉ HONOR BOOK
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 Á ngela, 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. ”
