In this follow-up to In the Beautiful Country, which Gene Luen Yang called âvivid and heartbreaking,â the story of Taiwanese immigrant Annaâs tumultuous life in America continues.
After a rocky first year, Anna and her parents have settled into life in Californiaâtheir restaurant is even turning a profit. Then her family makes a discovery that shatters their tranquil reality: their visas have expired.
Annaâs world is suddenly overwhelmed by new words like âundocumentedâ and âinequality.â She longs to share the towering secret that looms over every aspect of her life, but her parents strictly forbid her from telling anyone. As Anna grapples with the complexities of being undocumented, the strain that it places on her family, and the loneliness of keeping it all to herself, she has to wonderâif America is the promised land, why does everything sheâs hoped for feel like a lie?
Perfect for fans of Kelly Yang, Reem Faruqi, and Jasmine Warga, this novel in verse is a searing companion to In the Beautiful Country and focuses on themes of legal documentation, identity, and languageâs ability to divide and unite.
A wide variety of novels and accessible nonfiction for younger elementary readers who love a good story comprise this category of 12 books per year. The focus in these titles is primarily on the text, though some novels may feature illustration.