Starred ReviewStarred Review Where I Belong
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.
Format | Your Price | Add |
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978-1-5415-9797-6
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$14.24 | |
978-1-7284-9288-9
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$9.99 | |
978-1-7284-3227-4
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$23.99 |
Awards
- TAYSHAS Reading List
- California Young Reader Medal Nominee
- Notable AwardNotable Award Pura Belpré Young Adult Author Honor
- Notable AwardNotable Award In the Margins: Best Books for Teens
- Writer's League of Texas Discovery Prize Winner
- Notable AwardNotable Award Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year
- Skipping Stones Honor Award
- Notable AwardNotable Award ILA Children's and Young Adult Book Award in Fiction
- Notable AwardNotable Award Kirkus Best Teen Books of the Year
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 ReviewStarred 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 ReviewStarred 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