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Alexandra Diaz

The Only Road Kindle Edition

by Alexandra Diaz (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

378 ratings

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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 Ángela, 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.”

Reading age

8 - 12 years
Print length

321 pages
Language

English
Grade level

3 - 7
Lexile measure

830L
Publisher

Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
Publication date

October 4, 2016
Page Flip

Enabled
Word Wise

Enabled
Enhanced typesetting

Enabled
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
ISBN-13

978-1481457514
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Alexandra Diaz
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Terrorized and threatened by a local drug gang, a 12 year old boy and his 15 year old cousin flee their Guatemalan village and seek refuge in the United States. . . . Crossing into Mexico after a nighttime getaway, Jaime and Ángela meet fellow runaway teens, each with different reasons for fleeing home. Their passage, nevertheless, proves treacherous for everyone, child or adult. . . . Though Jaime and Ángela's story features dizzying acts of violence and abuse, Diaz explores such complex, grim matters with great care. The author's use of third person narration situates readers at a distance from the horrors that assail the protagonists while at the same time allowing opportunities to dig into Jaime's grief during crucial moments. It's Jaime's sorrow over Miguel's death that best defines Diaz's novel, reminding readers of the real life struggles afflicting many Latin American immigrants every day. (Kirkus Reviews )

Powerful and timely. (Booklist )

About the Author

Alexandra Diaz is the 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. Alexandra is the daughter of Cuban refugees and lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but got her master’s in writing for young people at Bath Spa University in England. A native Spanish speaker, Alexandra now teaches creative writing to adults and teens. Visit her at Alexandra-Diaz.com.

From School Library Journal

Gr 5–8—After the murder of their cousin/brother Miguel, Jaime and Ángela (ages 12 and 15) are given the "option" to join the powerful gang controlling their Guatemalan village. A refusal means certain death, so their families make the difficult decision to send the pair north, secretly gathering resources, paying smugglers, and identifying safe houses—all the while aware that their children might not survive the journey. The cousins depart hidden in the bed of a truck with small bags of food and cash concealed in their waistbands. After crossing the Mexican border, they take a bus further north, barely escaping border guards, and briefly stay at a safe church from which they are transported in a locked, airless freight train car. Throughout, the young people experience mercy and loss and observe violence and its results as they walk or ride atop a train, finally reaching a border town. After working to acquire additional cash necessary for a reputable coyote, they cross the Río Bravo and border wall and finally arrive at another refuge center. There are references to violence and sexual abuse, but these are handled in an age-appropriate manner while also reflecting the experiences of many immigrants. Jaime's first person perspective enables readers to begin to comprehend the realities of undocumented youth immigration, its underlying causes, and the sacrifices and hardships made to reach safety in the United States. VERDICT An important, must-have addition to the growing body of literature with immigrant themes.—Ruth Quiroa, National Louis University, Lisle, IL --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The Only Road

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Review

"Jaime's first person perspective enables readers to begin to comprehend the realities of undocumented youth immigration...An important, must-have addition to the growing body of literature with immigrant themes."

-- "School Library Journal (starred review)"

"Told with heartbreaking honesty, this story 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 is to be human. Powerful and timely."

-- "Booklist (starred review)"

Narrator Ramon De Ocampo creates a soft yet determined voice for 12-year-old Jamie, who escapes his Guatemalan village in hopes of reaching the United States with his 15-year-old cousin, ngela.-- "AudioFile" --This text refers to the audioCD edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01BKR46A6
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books; Reprint edition (October 4, 2016)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 4, 2016
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2208 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 321 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1481457500

Best Sellers Rank: #406,448 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #18 in Children's Latin America Fiction
- #263 in Children's Central & South America Books
- #983 in Children's Fiction on Social Situations

Customer Reviews:
378 ratings

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Alexandra Diaz

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Alexandra Diaz is a Cuban-American spending her time between Bath, England, Santa Fe, NM, and the rest of the world. She has an MA in Writing for Young People from Bath Spa University and has led various workshops since she was fourteen. As a result of being homeschooled for most of high school, she’s fascinated by teenage school life and the drama that occurs in those quarters. One of the reasons she writes is to experience life in someone else’s shoes. She is a “jenny of all trades” having worked as a nanny, teacher, film extra, tour guide, and dairy goat judge (seriously). She currently teaches creative writing and circus arts, though not at the same time.

For more information, got to www.alexandra-diaz.com

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5

378 global ratings

5 star		79%
4 star		15%
3 star		5%
2 star		1%
1 star		1%

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Top reviews from the United States

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L. Allen

Amazing adventure

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 17, 2022

Verified Purchase

This was an exciting, action packed story. Yet it also gave me a new understanding of immigrants. A great, fast-paced read that kids will embrace.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Daniel G

A timely story about two young cousins who must leave rural Guatemala for the safety and opportunities that await them in the US

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 8, 2018

Verified Purchase

A wonderfully-written book about two young cousins, Jaime and Angela, who flee the all-too-common gang violence in their rural Guatemalan town for a better life with Jaime's older brother who lives in the US. We follow with great interest the adventure that these two cousins embark on. There are tense moments on a bus involving immigration authorities; there are friendships made en route with other children who, like them, are also fleeing their homelands in search of something better; and there are important choices that have to be made by our protagonists, from their first one to leave their hometown and families, to their last ones involving the treacherous crossing of the Mexican-US border at night. It's a story of heartbreak and hope, for our two protagonists as much as for the other children in this story and, more importantly, for the children who are making this perilous but potentially rewarding trip north. Given the state of current events, this is a particularly timely read for both children and adults alike. Highly recommended!
(As a side note, I'm an elementary school librarian, and after merely book-talking this book, all of my copies of it have been nearly continuously checked out!)

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

91Juan

Great book for young readers

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 30, 2020

Verified Purchase

The book had a great amount of drama and suspense. It had a variety of Spanish words that can describe their journey from gutemalen to estadios unstidos and I can't wait for a sequel for their journey in the United states

Helpful

Iona

My 5th graders love this story

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 7, 2020

Verified Purchase

This book has a very timely topic. My 5th graders start asking first thing in the morning when teacher read aloud is because they can't wait to hear what happens next.

Helpful

Darcy Kidd

One of the best children's books in recent years

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 11, 2019

Verified Purchase

This is such a good book. Diaz writes a compelling story about two children who must make the trek north through Mexico to escape gang violence. The reader truly feels like a part of the journey, and one would hope, feels empathy for the children's plight. I hope this book ends up on many reading lists for children.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 10, 2021

Verified Purchase

This book is not just for young adults. It provides a look into what refugees must endure to get to freedom and safety.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 8, 2018

Verified Purchase

Although this was a fiction book, it captured the reality of an immigrant's difficulties. The many dangers that they faced in their travels certainly brought home the reality of their plight and desperation to escape and love and sacrifice of their families to bring about their escape Very illuminating.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 27, 2019

Verified Purchase

My students liked it, and for a young person's intro in the plight of South American refugees, it's pretty good.

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Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

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Alexandra Diaz

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