This is such a great book. Loved that the author narrated it as well. Important topics! I'm exited to see what this author writes next

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley. I love the fact that the author wrote and also narrated this book. I did find the sound effects in the audiobook a little overwhelming and distracting but the story itself was so important and well-written. It tells of a girls experiences with having her family torn apart of immigration laws. It is such an important topic and one that our children need help in understanding as well.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Such an important book! Would highly recommend. Looking forward to seeing the artwork!

This is sad but I appreciate the determination this young woman describes in light of a frustrating failure of government officials.

This is a bittersweet, sad story of separation. Eight-year-old Estela has her family torn apart when her mother is deported to Mexico as an undocumented person living in the U.S. for years. Estela’s mother came to the states illegally and later married an American serviceman. After fifteen years in America, Estela’s mother was told she had to leave.

This young lady is brave to share her feelings and struggles to get help for her family. I enjoyed the sweet, evocative prose of the work. This short book highlights the impact of deportation on families who are trying to make a good life in America.

Sadly, there is no solution forthcoming from Congress where immigration reform has been ignored or avoided (by both political parties) for years and years when some plan is desperately needed. There is little that young Estela can do but keep making her voice heard until Congress takes action. I would recommend this book for schools and families to share the struggle and talk about potential solutions.

Audio Notes: The author, Estela Juarez, narrates her own work, giving it genuine flavor. Although the reading is clear, it does not flow as smoothly as it might. Still, I am glad that I listened to her heartfelt pleas.

Source: NetGalley August 2022. My Rating 4.5.

It is a short, first person, narrative about the struggles of immigration. The story talks about using your voice. It may be appropriate for a policy or politics class but not for the content that I teach. However, it is a nice way to introduce the challenge of our policies to young adults so they can advocate for change.

Read by the author, this story is poetic and powerful! Estela Juarez story of the recent immigration laws that can tear a family apart is terrible, but through it all Estela finds her voice and speaks out against the hardship she must endure. Students can learn a lot from Estela's journey finding her voice including building empathy for other's hardships.

This is a children's non-fiction book about a girl who's mother was deported. Though it is short, it has a powerful message about the hurt caused by immigration laws in the US as well as the power we all have when we use our voices.
This book accentuates how the immigration laws rips families appart and only speaking out about it can make things change for the better.
You can't fix a problem by being quiet and waiting for something to happen, you have to make it happen yourself.
Continue to speak up, until someone listens.

Readers, young and old, will love this audiobook of the real-life experiences of Estela Juarez, the daughter of U.S.-born service member and an undocumented mother. Her family was ripped apart when her mom was scheduled for deportation and finally deported. Estela spent a year-and-a-half in Mexico so her mom wouldn’t be alone, while her older sister and father remained in Florida. The government was handling things when Donald Trump came in and insisted on deporting people, no matter what the fallout.

"Until Someone Listens" serves as a reminder that “illegals” are real people, with real lives, real families and real hopes and dreams. I loved seeing Estela pull out all the stops to get her mother home. Lisette Norman’s narration truly is the best way to read this book.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and Macmillan Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.

This is both heartbreaking and uplifting.
I adore that it's told by a child and shares her emotions and thought son her mother being deported.
I also enjoyed that it doesn't have a HEA, but rather a realistic and powerful ending instead.
Thank you NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for my DRC.

3.66 ⭐ The body of this children's book tells the story of the young author/narrator's warm and loving family that is ripped apart when her Mexican-born mother is deported, leaving her US Marine father, Estela, and her older sister in their Florida home, without recourse. The author talks about her mom's hopes, dreams, and work. The language is richly descriptive.

The extensive author's note gives more details, including a timeline (under three presidents: Obama, Trump, and Biden) and the ways in which Estela and her family have tried to make change for families like their own.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for the audio ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review. Publication is expected September 13.

This short but important story is an autobiographical work written by Estela Juarez, a young girl whose mother is from Mexico and whose father is from the United States. They all lived happily together in the U.S. until their home was ripped apart. When Estela was only eight, her mother was sent back to Mexico with no warning and no way to appeal the decision.

Estela, though young, recognized the unfairness of this situation, and began to take action. She wrote letters to the newspapers, Congress, the President, and anyone else she believed might help her family and others like her. This story is so tragic, especially knowing that there are so many families whose experiences mirror Estela’s.

This work is important in so many ways, especially because it shows kids that their voices can make a difference. I listened to the audiobook version of this work and loved that Estela herself was the one narrating it.

I highly recommend this work to anyone who has children in their lives, especially if you live within the United States. It's important for kids to hear about the injustices happening in their homeland from someone their age, someone who could be their friend at school. I believe the physical copy of this work has illustrations, so it would likely be extra enjoyable for children. My thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to read and review this work, which will be published on September 13th, 2022. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio (Young Listeners) for accepting my request to review audibly Until Someone Listens. I am humbled and forever grateful.

Narrator: Estela Juarez (The Author).
Published: 09/13/22

Estela is a young child whose father is a U.S. Serviceman and her mother proudly takes care of their home and children. After years of living in the United States, Estela's mother is declared undocumented. Estela voices her experiences beautifully.

Paraphrasing: People are not weeds, they are wild flowers.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for access to an Audiobook Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

There was a split second echo on the recording of the audiobook which was very distracting. And the author's note was longer and more interesting than the actual story. Eh.

This story is a touching outlook on how a child feels as her parent is being deported due to the fact that they are undocumented. This author decided at a young age that her voice has power, and she chose to use her words to make a difference in her family's lives and the lives of other families dealing with the fear of deportation. I highly recommend this book for every classroom!

Until Someone Listens is a heartbreaking story told by a young girl whose mother has been deported, forcing her family to be split between two countries. She has found her voice and is using it to make the world a better place. Her situation is far from unique in the US and we all need to listen and work to make this a better place. The author should be proud of what she has done and more of should fall in line behind her.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the Audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I listened to the audio of the book and the author read it. This is a book that shows there immigration has different shades of color and how it impacts families. A heartfelt authentic story.

Estela and her family were pretty much a typical American family until new immigration policies forced Estela's mother to leave the country. Since then, Estela has been using her voice to write letters and do what she can to get her mom back and make immigration better for everyone.

This isn't your typical picture book. As a non-fiction memoir, it doesn't have a happy ending, but it ends on a reminder that anyone can speak up. The wording was well-crafted, and while there were certainly emotional moments, it was concise and logical. The audiobook was clearly narrated and expressive. I will be suggesting this book to students who are concerned that they'll never make a difference.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this audio ARC. All opinions are my own.

I loved this. I would purchase this book, but not the audiobook because I would want the kids to hold the book in their hands and see the images for the story to have even more of an impact on them. Especially since I work with so many Latinx kids. But not just for them. I want their classmates to understand how devastating this can be and how Important it is for all of us to fight together for a more just and welcoming policy and future. This is an important story and they need to know that it's okay to be young. Their voices matter and need to be heard. She was only 8 when she stood up for her mother. Kids need to know that they can be young and stand up for what's right. I loved this story. It's empowering and vital to today's landscape.

A note: I received an advanced copy of the audiobook version, but no text/image version, so I am unable to give feedback about the artwork.

A true and all-too-common story of what happens when immigration "enforcement" is weaponized for political gain. Estela Juarez, author AND narrator of this audiobook, tells us about her family, and in particular her mother, Alejandra Juarez. Alejandra was in proceedings to fix her immigration status when she was forcibly deported, leaving her family reeling.

Estela wrote a letter to then-president Trump, telling him of her heartbreak and of how much the family needed her mother back. Bits of that letter are included in this book, plus more detail about the family history, and Estela's time living with her mother in Mexico after the deportation.

I can't imagine how long it took Estela Juarez to read her story. While she has told it many times in public already, you can HEAR the tremor in her voice as her family is split. She's done something very brave and very difficult, not only in telling her story in the first place, but in sharing it so many times.

I'll definitely be putting a hold in at the library for this picture book. I need to see the whole thing, not just the audio.

This is not my typically reviewed book, but when I saw the content and theme, I knew I had to listen.

This beautiful book, Until Someone Listens, tells the story of a young girl Estella, who faced the unthinkable at only 8 years old, when her mother was deported to Mexico. But her fear and sadness couldn’t keep her from doing what she could. So this little girl wrote letters to everyone from local stations and papers, to the President of the United States.

This is a powerhouse story for young readers who, during such a tumultuous time, can only benefit from being reminded through stories like this, that we all have the power to stand up and make a difference. The Author’s note tells readers about her true to life story from the book, and it’s not to be missed.

This is a book that I’ll be purchasing as soon as it’s released in September. I encourage parents out there to include this in their children’s libraries to establish hope and strength in the next generation.