As a digital subscriber, you’ll receive unlimited access to Horn Book web exclusives and extensive archives, as well as access to our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database.
To access other site content, visit The Horn Book homepage.
To continue you need an active subscription to hbook.com.
Subscribe now to gain immediate access to everything hbook.com has to offer, as well as our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database, which contains tens of thousands of short, critical reviews of books published in the United States for young people.
Thank you for registering. To have the latest stories delivered to your inbox, select as many free newsletters as you like below.
No thanks. Return to article
(3)
YA
Grande's parents left their children in Mexico with their neglectful grandmother while they illegally crossed the U.S. border to find jobs. Their mother returned home with a new baby; the still-struggling siblings' long-absent father eventually brought them to the U.S. The grim true story, adapted for middle-school readers from Grande's memoir, never devolves into melodrama, and the ultimately optimistic ending is inspiring.