Santiagos Road Home, Alexandra Diaz
Santiagos Road Home, Alexandra Diaz
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

Santiago's Road Home

Author: Alexandra Diaz

Narrator: Timothy Andrés Pabon

Unabridged: 6 hr 34 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/05/2020


Synopsis

Three starred reviews!
“Harrowing but deeply illuminating.” —School Library Journal

A young boy gets detained by ICE while crossing the border from Mexico to the United States in this timely and unflinching novel by award-winning author Alexandra Diaz.

The bed creaks under Santiago’s shivering body. They say a person’s life flashes by before dying. But it’s not his whole life. Just the events that led to this. The important ones, and the ones Santiago would rather forget.

The coins in Santiago’s hand are meant for the bus fare back to his abusive abuela’s house. Except he refuses to return; he won’t be missed. His future is uncertain until he meets the kind, maternal María Dolores and her young daughter, Alegría, who help Santiago decide what comes next: He will accompany them to el otro lado, the United States of America. They embark with little, just backpacks with water and a bit of food. To travel together will require trust from all parties, and Santiago is used to going it alone. None of the three travelers realizes that the journey through Mexico to the border is just the beginning of their story.

About Alexandra Diaz

Alexandra Diaz is the award-winning author of The Only RoadThe CrossroadsSantiago’s Road Home, and Farewell Cuba, Mi IslaThe Only Road was a Pura Belpré Honor Book and won the Américas Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature, as well as numerous other accolades. Santiago’s Road Home was an International Latino Book Award gold medalist and an ALA Notable Children’s Book. Farewell Cuba, Mi Isla was a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year, received the Teacher’s Favorites Award from the Children’s Book Council, and received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal. Alexandra is the daughter of Cuban refugees and a native Spanish speaker. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but got her master’s in writing for young people at Bath Spa University in England. Visit her at Alexandra-Diaz.com.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Anniek

This is a very solid middlegrade introduction to immigration. I especially thought it had a good balance: while it doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of Santiago's life at all, there was also room for hope and love in the form of Santiago's found family. And Santiago as a main character just......more

Goodreads review by Shaye

This storyline is similar to We Are Not From Here, but not quite as horrific. Award-winning author Alexandra Diaz shares the story of Santiago, a young boy who has been physically abused by his abuela and then is passed around between relatives who do not want him. One day he’s sent away from yet an......more

Goodreads review by Fazila

Check out the full review on my website. CLICK HERE FOLLOW ME ON : TWITTER INSTAGRAM REVIEW : DISCLAIMER : Thank you, Netgalley and Simon And Schuster for the ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily. Santiago's Road Home is a heart wrenching realistic portrayal of several people who get......more

Goodreads review by Karissa

Santiago has been kicked out of his aunt and uncle's home in Mexico. They've sent him away with a little money to take a bus back to his grandmothers home. But his grandmother physically abused him, and she was the reason he had lived with so many relatives until they couldn't afford to feed him any......more


Quotes

"Timothy Andres Pabon's narration merges Spanish and English, high emotions, and tension in this audiobook. Since his mother's death when he was 5, Santiago has been shuffled among relatives who neglect and abuse him. Pabon expresses the 12-year-old's resignation, then a glimmer an idea. Might he escape from Mexico to the U.S.? Pabon contrasts Santiago's original hopelessness with the kindness of a single mother and a little girl who welcome him into their family. Their bond builds as the trio take on the threats of murdering coyote guides, grueling desert travel, and, the worst, separation from each other. Pabon also stresses Santiago's resilience and growing hope amid the horrors of a detention center. This heartfelt story personalizes the injustices suffered by refugee youth."