What a difficult but important read. Although it’s dystopian and set in the future there is so much that is what we have seen under the Trump administration. We follow Vali and her family trying to find sanctuary as the government closes in all on illegal immigrants. Citizens are required to wear chips to prove they are legally allowed to be there. Her mother and her had fake chips implanted but they cost 5,000 and they were unable to
Get one for her father. He was deported and they found out he was murdered. Vali saw a picture of his body after he had been found. The government has been cracking down even more and her mother fears they are not safe so they start their journey to sanctuary but her mother is captured along three way and her mother pleaded with her to continue the trip with her brother. He is only 8 and is in the country legally but that doesn’t matter because no one else in the family is. Vali is determined to get to
New York to Find the nun that has promised to
Help them get to Sanctuary.
This book is heartbreaking and the sad part is some of these things are occurring now. Incited and my heart broke over and over again but I knew I had to continue. I think this should be required reading for high schoolers.

[SYNOPSIS] Sanctuary tells a story in the future America, where a giant wall has been built between Mexico and the United States. The US government is determined to be rid of all undocumented immigrants, and is actively seeking them out, and removing them. Vali and her family have lived a happy, stable life in a small town until Vali's mom's citizen chip starts to malfunction. Now Deportation services are a in town, and the family is forced to run.

[REVIEW] This book is "dystopian" sure... but honestly, so close to reality it terrifies. It really makes you examine the life of an immigrant family in a new light, and want to discuss with friends, book clubs, and those around you. It's by no means a light read, definitely heavy, but oh so important. You get attached to Vali and her family, root for them, hurt for them, and invest in them. You'll rage at the goverment in this book, and then want to rage more IRL because you know it's only a few steps away from the truth.

*Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers and Netgalley for the gifted e-book copy. All opinions are my own!

Super fun dystopia read about "immigrants" in an American society in 2032 where you're entire life is tracked. Starts off kinda slow but picks up pace and you start to get wrapped in the story. I loved the storyline

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for giving me an advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Definitely felt a little too real and I think that’s why I couldn’t get through jt. I wish I could as I know it is well loved but it was not my cup of tea.

An important topic. The writing was a bit uneven but the topic helped push the story along. I wish we drives a bit deeper into the characters.

I literally want to give this book ten stars. It’s so beyond incredible and powerful and IMPORTANT. THIS could EASILY be our future. That’s what’s so terrifying about it. We see small embers of this future starting now. We see it in the hate speech for immigrants from the president and his loyalists. It’s horrifying and scary and it’s books like this that SHOW US what could happen if we don’t make a change.

This was raw and emotional and a RIDE. This should be required reading at the very LEAST.

The story follows Vali as she navigates being in a highly regulated United States as an undocumented immigrant. When it was mandatory for everyone to get ID chips placed in their wrists, she and her mami got fake chips, but those only last so long. With her papi gone, she’s worried about what will happen when their chips start working.

After a girl tries to cross the Great American Wall, the government decides to crack down even further and the deportation force is created to round up undocumented immigrants. Vali’s mami hatches a plan to get them to New York safely and work from there. Together, Vali, her mami, and her little brother Ernie make it via bus to Boston. But their mami’s chip stops working and they find themselves alone and on the run.

What follows is a story of courage and survival, a testament to determination and the fight for freedom. It’s an incredible story.

It is so unsettling how realistic this novel could become in a near future. It was beautifully written and I hope we can get more novels like this one in the future

Whoa! One of my favorite reads of the year. Period. Dystopian and futuristic in the way that Internment by Samira Ahmed was, in a future just too close for comfort. This story looks at what could happen if we continue to suspect all immigrants instead of becoming inclusive.

This is probably one of the hardest books I've read in a long time. Ripped my heart to shreds. It's one of the books that gave me goosebumps, and just the possibility of it all gave me shivers. It was all too close to comfort.

This book can be difficult to read due to the content and doesn't offer a neatly wrapped up ending either. Rather it seems intended to raise awareness and push people to think about where things could go and what it might require to bring any kind of change. And for that, I think it's a very effective and powerful (if terrifying) story.

The book suffers a bit from a relatively straightforward plot that never really surprised me, and because this isn't contemporary fiction I would have liked to see more intrigue and understanding of what's happening in the wider world. Instead, this is a more narrow story that focuses on the experience of one family, and perhaps that's exactly what it intended to do. I would definitely still recommend this.

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book. Written as a dystopian take on current immigration issues, we follow Vali and her family as the government closes in on them because of their immigration status. Filled with action, fear, mourning and survival - a moving immigration book for today. #NetGalley #Sanctuary

This book grabbed me from the beginning and did not let go. Loved this take on a dystopian future. Really made me think and definitely stuck with me.

a heartbreaking, terrifying dystopian story that is far too close to something that could happen. these characters are amazing and their journey was so compelling and gut wrenching and i could not put it down.

What an incredible and timely read from Paola Mendoza and Abby Sher! These authors have brought back the dystopian genre to YA and added a modern and socially-conscious spin to it. This book should be required reading!

Thank you so much to Penguin Teen for gifting me a finished copy! I really enjoyed this one overall, and thought it had an important message at the heart of this story. I found Vali’s story to be an interesting one, and really felt for her situation. It’s gut wrenching to think how close we were to a wall like this being fully built and formed, and the turmoil and upheaval that many xenophobic people in power caused in the US.

I generally fall for dystopian novels hook, line, and sinker. But this one was either too slow or too harsh - I'm not sure which I disliked more. I can see the unjustness of the US's immigration crisis, but I also can't read books that have such a strong tone of hate and disrespect to our country. It's probably the climate right now, but the divisiveness is not helping and I quickly lost interest in the subtle implications happening in this storyline. For me, social justice will not be found in this way.

Within the first few chapters I was already on the edge of my seat. Sanctuary is a gut wrenching story. Dystopian world about the struggle of undocumented immigrants. It's a page turner of a story that will open your eyes to what our world is closely coming too. Following a young teen trying to keep herself and brother safe and how strong someone can be when faced in these horrible situations.

I cant even tell you how heartfelt this book is! A dystopian tale of a girl dealing with the elimination of undocumented immigrants in 2032. I cried so much while I read this story. The storyline is beautiful and the characters are so real. It's scary to even imagine something like this happening to families out there. The separation of children and parents is a constant issue here in the US and to see it in this dystopian story was just gut wrenching. I hope to read more by these authors!

4/5 stars!

This book was so powerful and beautifully written. I recommend this book to everyone to read.

Thanks for reading!
Caden

Excellent read! Really makes you think about how close we are to this becoming a reality. I read this with my teen book club and we all enjoyed it.