Purchase to Support Our Program

“A timely addition to most collections, this realistic fiction title will resonate with many readers.” —School Library Journal

Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From

Written by Jennifer De Leon
Illustrated by Elena Garnu
Published by Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books

Liliana Cruz is a hitting a wall—or rather, walls.

There’s the wall her mom has put up ever since Liliana’s dad left—again.

There’s the wall that delineates Liliana’s diverse inner-city Boston neighborhood from Westburg, the wealthy—and white—suburban high school she’s just been accepted into.

And there’s the wall Liliana creates within herself, because to survive at Westburg, she can’t just lighten up, she has to whiten up.

So what if she changes her name? So what if she changes the way she talks? So what if she’s seeing her neighborhood in a different way? But then light is shed on some hard truths: It isn’t that her father doesn’t want to come home—he can’t…and her whole family is in jeopardy. And when racial tensions at school reach a fever pitch, the walls that divide feel insurmountable.

But a wall isn’t always a barrier. It can be a foundation for something better. And Liliana must choose: Use this foundation as a platform to speak her truth, or risk crumbling under its weight.

Primary ISBN: 9781534438248
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook
Young Adult, Age 14 or older

Community Represented: ,

Themes: , , , , ,

Setting: United States

Character’s New Arrival/New American Status: 1st Generation

Click here for details about how we define our titles.

Engagement Projects & Resources:

Share your favorite resources for this book with info@imyourneighborbooks.org.