Borderless

Caught in the crosshairs of gang violence, a teen girl and her mother set off on a perilous journey from Guatemala City to the US border in this "engrossing" (Kirkus Reviews) young adult novel from the author of Don't Ask Me Where I'm From.

For seventeen-year-old Maya, trashion is her passion, and her talent for making clothing out of unusual objects landed her a scholarship to Guatemala City's most prestigious design school and a finalist spot in the school's fashion show. Mamá is her biggest supporter, taking on extra jobs to pay for what the scholarship doesn't cover, and she might be even more excited than Maya about what the fashion show could do for her future career.

So when Mamá doesn't come to the show, Maya doesn't know what to think. But the truth is worse than she could have imagined. The gang threats in their neighborhood have walked in their front door--with a boy Maya considered a friend, or maybe even more, among them. After barely making their escape, Maya and her mom have no choice but to continue their desperate flight all the way through Guatemala and Mexico in hopes of crossing the US border.

They have to cross. They must cross! Can they?

Author: Jennifer de Leon
Publisher: Atheneum Books
Published: 04/25/2023
Pages: 336
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.91lbs
Size: 8.56h x 5.87w x 1.18d
ISBN: 9781665904162
Audience: Young Adult


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 02/15/2023
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 04/01/2023 - Book Of Special Distinction
Publishers Weekly 03/27/2023
Booklist 04/15/2023 pg. 53

About the Author
Jennifer De Leon is an author, editor, speaker, and creative writing professor who lives outside of Boston. She is the editor of Wise Latinas: Writers on Higher Education, the 2015-2016 Writer-in-Residence at the Boston Public Library, and a 2016-2017 City of Boston Artist-in-Residence. She is also the second recipient of the We Need Diverse Books grant. She is the author of Don't Ask Me Where I'm From and Borderless.