Description
From School Library Journal Grade 5 Up Ever since his family moved to the tiny village of Los Árboles, Victor has been best friends with Rico. When Rico tells him that he has enough money to pay for a coyote to help him cross into El Norte, Victor is unable to decide if he, too, should go along and look for work or try to feed his family with the pitiful annual corn harvest. The decision is made for him the next day when he discovers that the corn prices have bottomed out and that there is no point in even planting this year. Readers suffer with the 15-year-old as he makes his painful decision to leave his mother and younger siblings and attempts the dangerous border crossing, jumping trains, fleeing thieves and border officials, and suffering from thirst and hunger. His desperation and fear are completely believable as he faces near-death situations and must decide whom to trust. The author deftly weaves information concerning the local geography and customs into the plot. The story is well paced, sustaining readers' attention throughout. Pair this novel with Ann Jaramillo's La Línea (Roaring Brook, 2006) for another fictional view of young people crossing the border between the U.S. and Mexico. Melissa Christy Buron, Epps Island Elementary, Houston, TX Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist Gr. 5-8. As in Ann Jaramillo's La Linea (2006) , Hobbs' latest puts a human face on the controversial issue of illegal immigration. No longer able to grow corn profitably in his Mexican village, 15-year-old Victor, who has supported his family since his father's death, resolves to go to El Norte: "It's time for me to do what men from our village have to do." Lacking the money to secure a guide, he ventures to a border town to wait his chance in the "whirlpool" of recent deportees, newcomers, and grizzled mojados ("wetbacks"). Successive attempts find him trekking through mountains and desert, fleeing la migra , and unwittingly becoming entangled with ruthless drug traffickers. Hobbs' effort to show a broad view of the border-crossing experience, often by incorporating the hard-luck tales of Victor's acquaintances, results in a story arc that occasionally feels artificial. But the questions raised here are provocative and worthwhile ("Are [Americans] willing to pick the fruits and the vegetables to fill their grocery stores?"), and the propulsive adventure-and-survival elements will keep Hobbs' core audience hooked. Jennifer Mattson Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved “A page-turning adventure” (Kirkus Reviews )“Riveting...an exciting story in a vital contemporary setting” (Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) )“This gritty and realistic tale will be an eye-opener for many YAs” (KLIATT )“Provocative...puts a human face on the controversial issue of illegal immigration.” (Booklist ) Will Hobbs is the award-winning author of eighteen novels, including Far North , Crossing the Wire , and Go Big or Go Home . Take Me To The River began with his weeklong canoe trip through the remote Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande on the Texas-Mexico border. Will’s fondness for Texas goes back to his high school years in San Antonio. A graduate of Stanford University, Will lives with his wife, Jean, in Durango, Colorado. Read more
Features & Highlights
- When falling crop prices threaten his family with starvation, fifteen–year–old Victor Flores heads north in a desperate attempt to "cross the wire" from Mexico into the United States so he can find work and send money home. But with no "coyote money" to pay the smugglers who sneak illegal workers across the border, Victor must struggle to survive as he jumps trains, stows away on trucks, and hikes grueling miles through the Arizona desert.
- Victor's journey is fraught with danger, as he faces freezing cold, scorching heat, hunger, and dead ends. It's a gauntlet run by millions attempting to cross the border. Through Victor's often desperate struggle, Will Hobbs brings to life one of the great human dramas of our time.
