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“A page-turning adventure”

—Kirkus Reviews

“Provocative…puts a human face on the controversial issue of illegal immigration.”

—Booklist

Crossing the Wire

Written by Will Hobbs
Published by HarperCollins

In this…novel from award-winning author Will Hobbs, a teenage boy hoping to help his loved ones must fight for his life as he makes the dangerous journey across the Mexican border into the United States.

When falling crop prices threaten his family with starvation, fifteen-year-old Victor Flores heads north in an attempt to “cross the wire” from Mexico into America so he can find work and help ease the finances at home.

But with no coyote money to pay the smugglers who sneak illegal workers across the border, Victor struggles to survive as he jumps trains, stows away on trucks, and hikes grueling miles through the Arizona desert.

Victor’s passage is fraught with freezing cold, scorching heat, hunger, and dead ends. It’s a gauntlet run by many attempting to cross the border, but few make it. Through Victor’s desperate perseverance, Will Hobbs brings to life a story that is true for many, polarizing for some, but life-changing for all who read it.

Primary ISBN: 9780060741389
Publication Date: April 2006
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook, eBook
Middle Grade, Age 08 or older

Community Represented:

Themes: , , , , , , ,

Setting: Mexico, United States (Arizona)

Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: Immigrant

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