An urgent and eloquent account of a boy traveling in a caravan from his beloved homeland of El Salvador to the US border.
This novel in verse is a powerful first-person account of Misael Martínez, a Salvadoran boy whose family joins the caravan heading north to the United States. We learn all the different reasons why people feel the need to leave — the hope that lies behind their decision, but also the terrible sadness of leaving home. We learn about how far and hard the trip is, but also about the kindness of those along the way.
Finally, once the caravan arrives in Tijuana, Misael and those around him are relieved. They think they have arrived at the goal of the trip — to enter the United States. But then tear gas, hateful demonstrations, force and fear descend on these vulnerable people. The border is closed. The book ends with Misael dreaming of El Salvador.
This beautiful and timely story is written in simple but poetic verse by Jorge Argueta, the award-winning author of Somos como las nubes / We Are Like the Clouds. Award-winning Mexican illustrator Manuel Monroy illuminates Misael’s journey. An author’s note is included, along with a map showing the caravan’s route.
Key Text Features
author’s note
map
illustrations
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3
Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions).
An urgent and eloquent account of a boy traveling in a caravan from his beloved homeland of El Salvador to the US border.
This novel in verse is a powerful first-person account of Misael Martínez, a Salvadoran boy whose family joins the caravan heading north to the United States. We learn all the different reasons why people feel the need to leave — the hope that lies behind their decision, but also the terrible sadness of leaving home. We learn about how far and hard the trip is, but also about the kindness of those along the way.
Finally, once the caravan arrives in Tijuana, Misael and those around him are relieved. They think they have arrived at the goal of the trip — to enter the United States. But then tear gas, hateful demonstrations, force and fear descend on these vulnerable people. The border is closed. The book ends with Misael dreaming of El Salvador.
This beautiful and timely story is written in simple but poetic verse by Jorge Argueta, the award-winning author of Somos como las nubes / We Are Like the Clouds. Award-winning Mexican illustrator Manuel Monroy illuminates Misael’s journey. An author’s note is included, along with a map showing the caravan’s route.
Key Text Features
author’s note
map
illustrations
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3
Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions).
| Published By | Groundwood Books Ltd — Oct 1, 2019 |
| Specifications | 112 pages | 5.5 in x 8.5 in 112 pages | 5.5 in x 8.5 in |
| Keywords | emigration and immigration; border; child refugee; asylum seeker; leaving home; human rights; refugee experience; Mexico; novel in verse; Central America; adaptability; courage; perseverance; first person narration; child as narrator; Spanish language; bilingual elements; figurative language; imagery; connecting; predicting; determining importance; Common Core aligned; CC Literature Key Ideas and Details; CC Literature Craft and Structure; grade 4; grade 5; |
|
Supporting Resources
(select item to download) |
Excerpt Teacher's Guide |
| Written By |
JORGE ARGUETA, a Pipil Nahua from El Salvador and Poet Laureate Emeritus of San Mateo County, is a prize-winning author of more than twenty children’s books. His book Somos como las nubes / We Are Like the Clouds won the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award and was named to USBBY’s Outstanding International Books List, ALA Notable Children’s Books and the Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices. Jorge is the founder of the International Children's Poetry Festival Manyula and the Library of Dreams, a non-profit organization that promotes literacy in El Salvador. Jorge divides his time between San Francisco, California, and El Salvador. |
| Illustrated by |
MANUEL MONROY is one of Mexico’s most celebrated illustrators who has exhibited his art internationally. He has won the A la Orilla del Viento and the Noma Concours Encouragement Prize, and he has been included on the IBBY Honour List. He lives in Mexico City. |
| Written By |
|
JORGE ARGUETA, a Pipil Nahua from El Salvador and Poet Laureate Emeritus of San Mateo County, is a prize-winning author of more than twenty children’s books. His book Somos como las nubes / We Are Like the Clouds won the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award and was named to USBBY’s Outstanding International Books List, ALA Notable Children’s Books and the Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices. Jorge is the founder of the International Children's Poetry Festival Manyula and the Library of Dreams, a non-profit organization that promotes literacy in El Salvador. Jorge divides his time between San Francisco, California, and El Salvador. |
| Illustrated by |
|
MANUEL MONROY is one of Mexico’s most celebrated illustrators who has exhibited his art internationally. He has won the A la Orilla del Viento and the Noma Concours Encouragement Prize, and he has been included on the IBBY Honour List. He lives in Mexico City. |
| Audience | ages 9 and up / grades 4 and up |
| Reading Levels |
Guided Reading X
Lexile 630L Fountas & Pinnel Text Level X |
| Key Text Features | author's note; map; illustrations |
| Common Core | CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3 |
Commended, USBBY Outstanding International Book, 2020
Commended, NCTE Notable Poetry Book and Verse Novel, 2020
Commended, Westchester Fiction Award Honourable Mention, 2020
Commended, Américas Award — Children’s and Young Adult Literature Commended Titles, 2020
“The award-winning Salvadoran writer Argueta offers a brief but powerful novel in verse. … [His] spare text is given emotional potency through Misael’s observations of the members of the caravan …” —Booklist
“Deceptively simple black-and-white line drawings accompany this wrenching account of the humanitarian crisis taking place in Central America and at the U.S. border. … This moving work should help children understand the current national discussion.” —Kirkus Reviews
“[T]he understated, pared-down language and generous white space make Misael’s story accessible to younger and reluctant readers.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“This book is impossible to put down. Argueta’s poetic form in storytelling allows the reader to connect and see themselves in the bravery of the characters … [a] must-read for all allies of the Central American caravan.” —El Tecolote