The Only Road (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781481457507)

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.

Author: Alexandra Diaz
ISBN-10: 1481457500
ISBN-13: 9781481457507
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
Language: English
Published: 10/04/2016
Pages: 320
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.80w x 1.20d

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.6
Point Value: 10
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 185810 / Only Road

Award: Pura Belpre Award - Winner

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 01/01/0001
Kirkus Reviews 08/15/2016
Booklist 09/01/2016 pg. 112
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 11/01/2016
School Library Journal 03/01/2017
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2017 - Recommended, Satisfactory