Brighter Than the Sun - by Daniel Aleman

Book Synopsis

A timely and thought-provoking story about a teen girl shouldering impossibly large responsibilities and ultimately learning that she doesn't have to do it alone from the award-winning author of Indivisible.

Every morning, sixteen-year-old Sol wakes up at the break of dawn in her hometown of Tijuana, Mexico and makes the trip across the border to go to school in the United States. Though the commute is exhausting, this is the best way to achieve her dream: becoming the first person in her family to go to college.

When her family's restaurant starts struggling, Sol must find a part-time job in San Diego to help her dad put food on the table and pay the bills. But her complicated school and work schedules on the US side of the border mean moving in with her best friend and leaving her family behind.

With her life divided by an international border, Sol must come to terms with the loneliness she hides, the pressure she feels to succeed for her family, and the fact that the future she once dreamt of is starting to seem unattainable. Mostly, she'll have to grapple with a secret she's kept even from herself: that maybe she's relieved to have escaped her difficult home life, and a part of her may never want to return.

Review Quotes

A 2024 Américas Award Honor Book

Praise for Indivisible:

Winner of the 2022 Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
A YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults 2022 Nominee

* "Stellar, clear and emotional, realistic and suspenseful. The story is complex and heart-wrenching, yet full of hope and familial love."
​- Booklist, starred review

"A thoroughly openhearted debut, which will leave an indelible mark on the hearts of readers."
​- Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Indivisible is a deeply moving tribute to those caught between two worlds in the immigration crisis in America--a potent reminder that no human being is illegal, and that hundreds of thousands of children in this situation are forced to grow up too quickly. Although this is fiction, it's far too real."
- Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Book of Two Ways

"Indivisible is a powerful story about family, friendship, and home. In a world divided by so many labels, this story is a reminder that there are no boundaries for love. It shines a light on the difficult choices people make for their family and community, and reminds us that each family is a little world. Mateo, Sophie, and their parents are now part of my heart."
- Yamile Saied Méndez, author of Pura Belpré Inaugural YA Award winner Furia

"Daniel Aleman is a fearless writer who never shies away from the complexity of his premise, yet gives Mateo such agency and drive, you never lose hope as a reader. A total miracle of a book."
​- Adam Sass, author of Surrender Your Sons

"Aleman effortlessly draws in the reader with a character-driven novel of survival laced with optimistic themes of growth, perseverance, and accepting change."

--Booklist

"Sol's character is complex, as her identity is torn between worlds. ...The stream-of-consciousness narrative grabs the hearts of readers and is perfect for building empathy as a mirror, window, or sliding glass door."--School Library Journal

".... Aleman's direct, accessible prose believably conveys the heavy responsibility teens carry as they support their struggling families. ....(T)he emotional stakes here are compelling, and amidst all the hardship, Aleman inserts potent moments of joy and connection, the power of female friendship, and the perseverance of possibility." --BCCB

About the Author

Daniel Aleman is the award-winning author of Indivisible. Born and raised in Mexico City, he has lived in various places across North America and is currently based in Toronto, where he is on a never-ending search for the best tacos in the city. Brighter Than the Sun is his second novel.