A first hand look of the illegal immigrants course of life is well portrayed by Diaz. Very ordinary characters seeking a better life in the United States. Santiago needs to escape his family conditions in Mexico. With no money it seems near impossible till he meets Maria and her daughter, Alegria, at a food truck on their way to find a coyote to take them across. A true reveal of what families should truly be made of. Realistic in it's portrayal of the dangers of crossing and the conditions in the holding area (he stays 6 months) but has a happy ending.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this advance copy. I read and appreciated Santiago's Road Home, and I would recommend it. However, I would say that I still think it is best to read memoirs on the topic of immigration.

"Santiago's Road Home" is a captivating story about an orphan boy who due to circumstance finds himself illegally crossing the border into the United States. This story is geared towards middle school students, and I can see how is can be a great read, especially the first part of the novel during when the actual crossing takes places. There is a lot of room for the classroom debate as well.

This is a heartfelt wonderful book! A great resource to encourage empathy and understanding. I think it should be required reading for middle and or high school. Great addition to multicultural education classes or teacher training classes in college. I seriously cannot wait to read the rest of the author’s books. It was beautiful! Loved it!

Santiago has lived with his grandmother, who is abusive, and a variety of relatives since his mother's death. Most recently, he took care of his young cousins. Things are difficult for many people in Mexico, and when he is told to go to yet another relatives house, he decides instead to try to make it to the US. While he is trying to decide how to do this, he helps out a woman named María Dolores and her young daughter, Alegría. María is escaping untold problems of her own, and while she doesn't have a lot of money, she decides to help Santiago out. He comes with them, helps them to find someone trustworthy to get them across the border, and starts on the dangerous trip to the US with them. The man transporting them gets involved in a crash, and the three take off from the wrecked car to try to get to the nearest town. It's more difficult to get across the desert than they imagined, but they are lucky when someone finds them after María becomes ill. Unfortunately, she is taken to the hospital, and Santiago and Alegría are separated at the detention center. Circumstances there are dire and Santiago tries to survive while attempting to get information about the people he now considers family. Will he be able to locate them and start a new life in the US?

Strengths: This will appeal to readers for many different reasons. It addresses a current concern about the treatment of immigrants, it is a survival story, and it shows a child trying to create his own family when the one he started with does not meet his needs. My students have a very specific type of struggle that appeals to them, and Santiago's trials all fit that category. He flees an abusive situation, he has a dangerous road trip, and has to deal with the trauma of being in an institution that is not looking out for his best interest. Fast paced, interesting, and very, very timely story.

Weaknesses: After all the problems with American Dirt, I was cautious about this one. I don't know enough about the challenges faced by Mexican immigrants to know if Diaz, who is the daughter of Cuban refugees, could accurately portray the struggle of Mexican immigrants. Since this author won a Pura del Pre nomination for The Only Road, and include a bibliography and seems to have researched the topic well, I think it is sensitively done.

What I really think: Definitely purchasing as a timely title similar to Efren Divided.

Title : Santiago's Road Home

Author : Alexandra Diaz

Genre : Coming-of-Age

<i> Disclaimer : I received an eARC copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review </i>

One of the reasons that I had picked up this book was the blurb that pretty much intrigued me. With serious topic like illegal immigration that needs to be dealt with compassion by authorities, this book is one of those that promised me a emotional roller coaster ride. Did the book succeeded in the same? Here is my take on it.

Santiago's Road Home is the story of Santiago who escaped his relative's place when he realised his only other option was his abusive grandmother. On his route to freedom, he meets Maria Dolores and her daughter, Algeria, with whom he had a bonding that reminded him of his mother and how a family should be. On their road to escape to United States of America, the three of them gets caught crossing the border illegally and this brings out a story that is bound to move you.

The book claims itself to be a Children's Fiction but I would rather keep it at Middle Grade level since some of the plot points are pretty intense to be put in Children's category. The author had brilliantly executed the characterisations of the main protagonist, Santiago who was able to move me to tears and I will not be shy of declaring that my eyes were wet throughout the novel.

The story is pretty fast paced and hence at times, one does not get to digest the situations before moving on with the plot. What did irk me at times were the usage of Mexican Vocabulary (which I have never come across), but after a while one can easily get used to the same. With a novel that is written pretty short, this one could have been detailed a bit more and yet I just couldn't put it down and took hardly a day or two to finish it.

Santiago's Road Home showcases the talent of Alexandra Diaz. It features fully-developed characters and an enjoyable, well-drawn narrative -- I heartily recommend it.

This is a brilliant book. It follows Santiago as he tries to escape his abusive life being passed around various family members that don't want him.

Much of the book is set in a detention centre where Santiago is held after arriving in America and it seems from the author's research, is sadly quite accurate. I already knew quite a bit about the subject but reading a fictionalised account of a child was a lot more hard-hitting.

The book contains no bad language or unsuitable content and so is a great choice for educating children and young people on the difficulties some children are facing today.