Starred Review Where I Belong

  • Interest Level: Grade 6 - Grade 12
  • Reading Level: Grade 6

A Pura Belpré Honor Book

An immigrant teen fights for her family, her future, and the place she calls home.

In the spring of 2018, Guatemalan American high school senior Milagros “Millie” Vargas knows her life is about to change. She has lived in Corpus Christi, Texas, ever since her parents sought asylum there when she was a baby. Now a citizen, Millie devotes herself to school and caring for her younger siblings while her mom works as a housekeeper for the wealthy Wheeler family. With college on the horizon, Millie is torn between attending her dream school and staying close to home, where she knows she’s needed. She is disturbed by what’s happening to asylum-seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border, but she doesn’t see herself as an activist or a change-maker. She’s just trying to take care of her own family.

Then Mr. Wheeler, a U.S. Senate candidate, mentions Millie’s achievements in a campaign speech about “deserving” immigrants. It doesn’t take long for people to identify Millie’s family and place them at the center of a statewide immigration debate. Faced with journalists, trolls, anonymous threats, and the Wheelers’ good intentions—especially those of Mr. Wheeler’s son, Charlie—Millie must confront the complexity of her past, the uncertainty of her future, and her place in the country that she believed was home.

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978-1-5415-9797-6
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Interest Level Grade 6 - Grade 12
Reading Level Grade 6
Genre Young Adult
Category Diverse Books: Immigration & Refugees, Diverse Books: #OwnVoices, Diverse Books: Race & Ethnicity, Diverse Books: Social Class, Diverse Books: Social Justice, Diversity, SEL: A Self-Awareness, SEL: B Self-Management, SEL: C Social Awareness, SEL: D Relationship Skills, SEL: E Responsible Decision-Making, Social Emotional Learning
Copyright 2021
Publisher Lerner Publishing Group
Imprint Carolrhoda Lab ®
Language English
Number of Pages 264
Publication Date 2021-09-07
Text Type Fiction
BISACS YAF058100, YAF058190, YAF052070
Dewey [Fic]
Dimensions 5.5 x 8.25
Lexile 740
ATOS Reading Level 4.9
Accelerated Reader® Points 11.0
Features Author/Illustrator biography, Author/Illustrator note, Awards, Reviewed, Starred Reviews, Teaching Guides, and eSource

Awards

  • TAYSHAS Reading List, Winner, 2023
  • California Young Reader Medal Nominee, Nominated, 2023
  • Notable Award Pura Belpré Young Adult Author Honor, Commended, 2022
  • Notable Award In the Margins: Best Books for Teens, Winner, 2022
  • Writer's League of Texas Discovery Prize Winner, Winner, 2022
  • Notable Award Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year, Winner, 2022
  • Skipping Stones Honor Award, Short-listed, 2022
  • Notable Award ILA Children's and Young Adult Book Award in Fiction, Commended, 2022
  • Notable Award Kirkus Best Teen Books of the Year, Winner, 2021

Reviews

The Horn Book Magazine

“The reader is drawn into Millie’s heartbreaking inner monologue as the story pointedly cultivates informed empathy for the diversity of immigrant experiences, while emphasizing the importance of humility for those who stand as allies.”—The Horn Book Magazine

Starred Review School Library Journal

“[N]ot to be missed. There is truth on every page—about love, restraint, and integrity.”—starred, School Library Journal

Booklist

“[A]n appealing, authentic story featuring engaging, realistic characters.”—Booklist

Starred Review Kirkus Reviews

“Full of thought-provoking conversations, messy answers, and lots of heart, this novel’s a quiet knockout. Utterly compelling.”—starred, Kirkus Reviews

Diana López

“In Milagros Vargas, author Marcia Argueta Mickelson has brilliantly captured a voice for our times.” —Diana López, author of Lucky Luna