I didn’t expect to LOVE this book. Super useful for lower level readers, but all readers will get into the adventure and twists and turns of Mateo’s story. This is great. Life—and the afterlife in Guillermo’s case—never quite go as planned. But if we learn to trust and listen to others, we can solve some problems, just like our young friends. Also, Darcie was a super point of view to include! Viva el jefe! Best take I’ve read on immigration for a teen audience!

okay im sorry the topic was touching, really. its about immigrants ruthless fate being kicked off all of the time. but i couldnt bear the really annoying main character who's stubborn, impatient, and short tempered.

A border crossing story with a ghost. I loved how much this story dealt with letting go of your past and your anger so that you can see the brightness of your future. AMAZING story and graphics.

Frontera tells a story that isn't often portrayed in media, outside of conservative screeds: what its like for migrants cross the border. We meet a coyote (an experienced person who escorts groups of people), Border Patrol agents and drones, armed far-right militias, the physical challenge of cross the Sonoran Desert, other migrants, and helpful people at the border. We learn some history, such as a the WWII Bracero Program. There is also a queer character.

Mateo is a total brat, which is somewhat understandable for his age and his backstory, but annoying to read as this ends with him alone in a desert without resources. Only the intervention of a ghost, a jaguar, and a local woman enable him to survive. He also has other advantages, like family living in the US and <spoiler>having been raised in the US</spoiler>

The ghost element added much for me. Guillermo guides Mateo, but also gives us some history and is the (dead) gay character, but neither period-typical nor modern homophobia are discussed . I would have been more interested to see Mateo cross with a group, perhaps gets separated by Border Patrol, and use his own smarts to make it to Phoenix. It would have been nice to see what happens when he reaches his destination. How did he get back into school? Did he apply for DACA?

The art was nice. Some of the facial expressions felt off.

I also would have liked this better in Spanish and English. It's not clear when which language is being spoken.

Frontera is wonderful! A heartwarming real story. Jacoby Salcedo is quickly becoming one of the best working comic artists. His style is so fun and adds such life to this story.

A solid read that is mindful of its audience without pulling any punches on it's subject material. I think some of there could have been less of the fanciful aspects for me; Mateo's connection with El Jefe seemed a bit out of nowhere.

4.5 stars rounded up.

I'm so glad I was approved for this arc! This is a much needed story from the viewpoints of those crossing the Mexico-US border, which is something you don't really see much of in the media unless you're specifically looking for it.

This is a great book for pre-teens and teens to understand the basic gist of what's happening on the border. The art is eye-catching and colorful. Mateo, the MC, is a great audience surrogate who helps the reader understand the current (and a bit of the past) situation on the border.

I really like the use of magical realism mixed in with the harsh reality of border crossings. There's a good amount of both to make this a feel good story without being too over the top and glossing too much over the ugly details.

Mateo's guide, Guillermo the ghost, teaches a bit about the history of the border, with his previous job as a migrant worker working on a US farm during WWII. El Jefe the jaguar is another great example of magical realism blended with reality. Mateo finds a connection and kindred spirit with the jaguar. He learns that El Jefe was separated from his family because of the wall. This can be a good introduction for kids to learn how animal habitats have also been affected by border wall construction.

Overall, I think this is a solid graphic novel for the younger set. And for adults, you might even learn a few things. (I knew nothing about the Bracero Program during WWII. Or how Native American reservations deal with border crossings. Also El Jefe is real??). Anyway, I'd love to read more from Julio Anta.

Thank you to HarperAlley and NetGalley for this arc.

✨ Review ✨ Frontera by Julio Anta, Illustrated by Jacoby Salcedo

This heartbreaking graphic novel follows Mateo, a teen who'd been deported to Mexico after spending almost his entire life in the US, as he tries to cross the border back into the US to get back to his grandma in Phoenix.

This pair does an incredible job at bringing forward the challenges of border crossings, and the many ways they'd be impacting a teen trying to cross by himself. While the story veers into the fantastical with a ghost and an almost magical jaguar, this graphic novel was hugely impactful. It really smartly depicts not only contemporary issues but also an underlying history of Mexican labor and immigration throughout the Southwest.

PS: now I'm obsessed with the historic flashbacks, and now I want more stories of gay braceros!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: graphic novel, YA, fantasy
Location: US-Mexico borderlands, Sonoran desert
Pub Date: 18 Jul 2023

Read this if you like:
⭕️ YA graphic novels
⭕️ learning about the border region
⭕️ emotional stories
⭕️ gorgeous desert landscapes

Thanks to HarperAlley and #netgalley for an advanced e-copy of this book!

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARD for review through Netgalley. Content warning for racist violence.)

-- 4.5 stars --

Mateo Renteria is a Dreamer: born in Guadalajara, Mexico, his parents brought him to America when he was three years old in search of a better life. Mateo remained unaware of his undocumented status until the family was discovered by the authorities and deported twelve years later.

As FRONTERA opens, the Renterias are putting their only child on a bus bound for Sásabe, Sonora - and, from there, he's to cross the border with the help of a guide. His final destination: his grandmother's home in Phoenix, Arizona - the only home he's ever known - and his senior year of high school.

Though the crossing is all planned out and paid for, an unexpected delay sends an impatient Mateo storming off on his own - where he's almost immediately caught by border patrol. Luckily, help materializes in the form of a ghost named Guillermo, who died in the Sonoran Desert some seventy years ago, during an ill-fated crossing. Guillermo will help Mateo overcome dehydration, heat stroke, desert wildlife, drones, racist militias, and racist BP agents to make it back home. And maybe, in turn, Mateo can help Guillermo pass into the afterlife - and be reunited with the man he loves.

FRONTERA is such a lovely and magical tale - equal turns harrowing and enchanting. Mateo's back story and journey is both educational and moving, detailing the many obstacles (both natural and, cruelly, man-made) immigrants must endure to make the journey to the United States. And Guillermo's tale tugged especially hard at ye ole heart strings. But the thing that really, truly did me in was El Jefe, and the surprising bond he forges with Mateo and Guillermo. The lonely jaguar's appearance hints at the environmental devastation our inhumane and reactionary immigration policies have wrought; something that's usually mentioned as an afterthought, if at all. (And this isn't at all to suggest that the human casualties are any less tragic or worthy of compassion.)

The artwork is stunning, and manages to encapsulate both the beauty and danger of the southwest.

Meteo is what is known as a Dreamer, someone who was brought to America from Mexico, when he was 3, and never knew he was undocumented. He only learns this shortly before he is deported to a country he doesn’t remember. He is just about to start his senior year, and can’t and won’t stay in Mexico.

So, he prepares to cross the border to get “home” to Phoenix, where his grandmother lives. Only problem, he is headstrong, and doesn’t wait for his coyote to get him across, and decides to do so on his own. That is when he meets the 70-year-old ghost, Guillermo, who died trying to get back into the US, and has since helped others not to make the same mistakes he made.

But the desert is not empty. There are military crazies out there as well as the regular border patrol, and one lone jaguar. He needs the help of the ghost, as though the ghost doesn’t know it, he needs Mateo’s help as well.

Bittersweet story of the horror that migrants face trying to get into the US. Beautifully illustrated, especially some of the panoramic desert scenes. I had a feeling there was more to the ghost’s story than was being let on. And I like how Mateo grew from this experience.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. It comes out from Harper Collins July 18, 2023.