Beautifully written novel in verse that touches many topics.

I know this is for middle grade, but as an adult I loved reading this.

Themes of:
Undocumented immigration and what that means for everyday life
Hard work
Fitting in/racism/classism
Loneliness
& most importantly, hope

Land of Broken Promises
by Jane Kuo
Pub Date 09 May 2023 |l
HarperCollins Children's Books, Quill Tree Books
Children's Fiction | Middle Grade | Multicultural Interest



I am reviewing a copy of Land of Broken Promises through HarperCollins Children's Books , Quill Tree and Netgalley:


In Land of Broken Promises Taiwanese immigrant Anna and her family make a shocking discovery that puts their American dreams at risk in this searing companion to In the Beautiful Country, which Gene Luen Yang called “vivid and hopeful.”


Following a rocky first year Anna's family has settled into life in California their small restaurant is even turning a profit. Then her parents make a shattering discovery: their visas have expired.


Soon though Anna's world becomes overwhelmed by unfamiliar words like “undocumented” and “inequality.” She longs to share the towering secret that looms over every aspect of her life with a friend, but her parents strictly forbid her from telling anyone.


Anna grapples with the complexities of being undocumented, the strain that it places on her family, and the loneliness of keeping it all to herself, she has to wonder if America is the promised land, why does everything she’s hoped for feel like a lie?


I give Land of Broken Promises five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

This book was great! It really showed the truth of being an immigrant, especially an undocumented one. I loved the theme of family, such as when the main character´s mom goes to work in a different city but they still work as a family. I also loved how they were able to come up with a solution when they found out they were undocumented. Overall, this was a really good book with lots of feeling.

This was another touching novel in verse by author Jane Kuo.

This book tackled issues of racism, classism, immigration status and more in an honest and raw way.

This is a sequel, and while I enjoyed the first book more this was still a powerful read.

What a gorgeous novel full of loveable characters and a storyline that I couldn't put down. This one is a must read!

A wonderful companion novel-in-verse to In the Beautiful Country, Anna feels she will never be a real American. In school, Anna’s teacher says words are power, and Anna finds she likes writing poetry. Then Ma finds papers that Ba never went through dealing with their immigration status. They find a lawyer who tells them if they apply to renew their immigration status it calls attention to the family, and they could be approved or denied. If denied they could be deported. Anna feels hopeless. Ba tells her “dream big and work hard… you can do anything you want.” What does the family do?