New Arrival/New American Books

Written by Reyna Grande
Published by Aladdin Paperbacks

Award-winning author Reyna Grande shares her compelling experience of crossing borders and cultures in this middle grade adaptation of her compelling unvarnished, resonant BookPage memoir, The Distance Between Us. When her parents make the dangerous and illegal trek across the Mexican border in pursuit of the American dream, Reyna and her siblings are forced to live with their stern grandmother, as they wait for their parents to build the foundation of a new life. But when things don’t go quite as planned, Reyna finds herself preparing for her own journey to El Otro Lado to live with the man who has haunted her imagination for years: her long-absent father. Both funny and heartbreaking, The Distance Between Us beautifully captures the struggle that Reyna and her siblings endured while trying to assimilate to a different culture, language, and family life in El Otro Lado (The Other Side).

Primary ISBN: 9781481463713

Available As: Hardcover, Paperback
Chapter Book, Age 09 or older

Community Represented: Mexican/Mexican American

Themes: Family Relationship: Grandparents, Family Relationship: Parents, Family Relationship: Siblings, Family Separation: Living with Other Family or Friends, Immigrant: Economic, Immigrant: Reunion of Family, Unaccompanied Minors, US/Mexican Border Crossing

Setting: Mexico, United States

Character’s New Arrival/New American Status: Immigrant

Click here for details about how we define our titles.

Engagement Projects & Resources:

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