The Only Road - by Alexandra Diaz (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Twelve-year-old Jaime makes the treacherous journey from his home in Guatemala to his older brother in New Mexico after his cousin is murdered by a drug cartel"--

Book Synopsis

PURA BELPRÉ HONOR BOOK
ALA NOTABLE BOOK

"Powerful and timely." --Booklist (starred review)
"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 gripping and realistic 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. It is a story of fear and bravery, love and loss, strangers becoming family, and one boy's treacherous and life-changing journey.

Review Quotes

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

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. An important, must-have addition to the growing body of literature with immigrant themes.--School Library Journal (STARRED)

Powerful and timely.--Booklist

About the Author

Alexandra Diaz is the award-winning 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. Farewell Cuba, Mi Isla was a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year, received the Teacher's Favorites Award from the Children's Book Council, and received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal. Alexandra is the daughter of Cuban refugees and a native Spanish speaker. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but got her master's in writing for young people at Bath Spa University in England. Visit her at Alexandra-Diaz.com.