Don't Ask Me Where I'm from (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781534438248)

"A funny, perceptive, and much-needed book telling a much-needed story." --Celeste Ng, author of the New York Times bestseller Little Fires Everywhere
"Written with humor and grace, with intimacy and empathy, Don't Ask Me Where I'm From is the perfect coming of age novel for our time." --Matt Mendez, author of Barely Missing Everything and Twitching Heart

First-generation American LatinX Liliana Cruz does what it takes to fit in at her new nearly all-white school. But when family secrets spill out and racism at school ramps up, she must decide what she believes in and take a stand.

Liliana Cruz is a hitting a wall--or rather, walls.

There's the wall her mom has put up ever since Liliana's dad left--again.

There's the wall that delineates Liliana's diverse inner-city Boston neighborhood from Westburg, the wealthy--and white--suburban high school she's just been accepted into.

And there's the wall Liliana creates within herself, because to survive at Westburg, she can't just lighten up, she has to whiten up.

So what if she changes her name? So what if she changes the way she talks? So what if she's seeing her neighborhood in a different way? But then light is shed on some hard truths: It isn't that her father doesn't want to come home--he can't...and her whole family is in jeopardy. And when racial tensions at school reach a fever pitch, the walls that divide feel insurmountable.

But a wall isn't always a barrier. It can be a foundation for something better. And Liliana must choose: Use this foundation as a platform to speak her truth, or risk crumbling under its weight.

Author: Jennifer de Leon
ISBN-10: 1534438246
ISBN-13: 9781534438248
Publisher: Atheneum Books
Language: English
Published: 08/18/2020
Pages: 336
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.70w x 1.20d

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.2
Point Value: 11
Interest Level: Middle Grade Plus
Quiz #/Name: 508744 / Don't Ask Me Where I'm from


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 04/01/2020
Voice of Youth Advocates 04/01/2020 - Recommended - Better Than Most
School Library Journal 05/01/2020 pg. 63
Booklist 05/01/2020 pg. 56
Publishers Weekly 08/10/2020