Pulga has his dreams. Chico has his grief. Pequeña has her pride. And these three teens have one another. But none of them have illusions about the town they've grown up in and the dangers that...
Pulga has his dreams. Chico has his grief. Pequeña has her pride. And these three teens have one another. But none of them have illusions about the town they've grown up in and the dangers that...
Due to publisher restrictions, your digital library cannot purchase additional copies of this title. We apologize if there is a long holds list. You may want to see if other editions of this title are available from your digital library instead.
Due to publisher restrictions, your digital library cannot purchase additional copies of this title. We apologize if there is a long holds list. You may want to see if other editions of this title are available from your digital library instead.
Description-
Pulga has his dreams. Chico has his grief. Pequeña has her pride. And these three teens have one another. But none of them have illusions about the town they've grown up in and the dangers that surround them. Even with the love of family, threats lurk around every corner. And when those threats become all too real, the trio knows they have no choice but to run: from their country, from their families, from their beloved home. Crossing from Guatemala through Mexico, they follow the route of La Bestia, the perilous train system that might deliver them to a better life—if they are lucky enough to survive the journey. With nothing but the bags on their backs and desperation drumming through their hearts, Pulga, Chico, and Pequeña know there is no turning back, despite the unknown that awaits them and the darkness that seems to follow wherever they go.
Jenny Torres Sanchez is a Pushcart Prize-nominated full-time writer and former English teacher. She is the author of Because of the Sun, The Downside of Being Charlie, and Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia. Born in Brooklyn, New York, she currently resides with her husband and children in Orlando, Florida. For more information, visit www.jennytorressanchez.com.
Reviews-
Narrator Marisa Blake portrays the cruelty and menace of Rey, a gang leader in Guatemala. Blake's depiction of the terror he evokes in three teens who flee him is heartbreaking. The story is told in alternating chapters by Pequena and Pulga. Pequena was raped by Rey and bore a son she can't stand to care for. Her cousin, Pulga, and his best friend, Chico, witnessed Rey murder a convenience store owner, and Rey threatens them into acts of violence. Feeling trapped by their circumstances, the three decide to escape to America via LA BESTIA, a train named by refugees who know its power to claim limbs or lives. Blake captures the fast-moving plot, taut emotions, and musicality of this story's interwoven Spanish words and phrases. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
Starred review from April 13, 2020 This powerful novel by Sanchez (Because of the Sun) follows three teenagers fleeing the violence, danger, and poverty of Puerto Barrios, the Guatemalan home they simultaneously love and hate. Stirred by renewed fear of local gang leader Rey, the close-knit trio decides to make the perilous, punishing journey through the deserts of Central America to Mexico, where they can jump the freight train known as La Bestia, “an enormous steel centipede groaning and hissing to life, its power vibrating through the ground,” which they hope will deliver them to the United States. Seventeen-year-old Pequeña is desperate to escape marriage to Rey, whose son she has just borne; 15-year-old Pugla and his de facto brother, Chico, 13, have witnessed a murder. The journey ends differently for each of the three, realistically representing the variety of outcomes that refugees can experience and building a profound understanding of why so many people are driven to risk their lives in search of an uncertain future. A devastating read that is difficult to put down, this unforgettable book unflinchingly illuminates the experiences of those leaving their homes to seek safety in the United States. Ages 14–up. Agent: Kerry Sparks, Levine Greenberg Rostan Agency. (May)■
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Bahrain, Egypt, Hong Kong, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen
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Narrator Marisa Blake portrays the cruelty and menace of Rey, a gang leader in Guatemala. Blake's depiction of the terror he evokes in three teens who flee him is heartbreaking. The story is told in alternating chapters by Pequena and Pulga. Pequena was raped by Rey and bore a son she can't stand to care for. Her cousin, Pulga, and his best friend, Chico, witnessed Rey murder a convenience store owner, and Rey threatens them into acts of violence. Feeling trapped by their circumstances, the three decide to escape to America via LA BESTIA, a train named by refugees who know its power to claim limbs or lives. Blake captures the fast-moving plot, taut emotions, and musicality of this story's interwoven Spanish words and phrases. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
