Review: Illegal by Bettina Restrepo
Title: Illegal
Hardcover, 256 pages
Author: Bettina Restrepo
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: March 1, 2011
Source: Author
Buy: Amazon
Book Summary:
Nora is on a desperate journey far away from home. When her father leaves their beloved Mexico in search of work, Nora fights to make sense of her loss while waiting for her father’s return and a better day. When the letters and money from her father stop coming, Nora decides that she and her mother must look for him in Texas. After a harrowing experience crossing the border, the two are all alone in a strange place called Houston. Now, Nora figures out how to survive while still aching for small comforts: friends, a new school, and a quinceañera to mark her fifteenth birthday.
Review:
Illegal was a book I looked forward to reading because of the content – it’s a unique realistic plot, and I had not ever read about someone wanting to move from Mexico to the United States.
I think that perhaps I was expecting a little more depth than I got reading Illegal. While I cared about Nora and how she was going to make her life the best it could be, I didn’t totally connect with her – mainly because I didn’t connect with the way that her emotions were described. I was expecting an older young adult book and got more of a younger one.
Another thing that really threw me off was the Spanish that would randomly pop up – usually in a book with a foreign language you can figure out what the non-English words or phrases are, but that wasn’t always the case in Illegal. I ended up asking Steve about a phrase every few pages (he is pretty good with Spanish), which worked – if I had had to look the phrases up on Google I would have been a little more miffed.
Illegal is great for a younger young adult reader, but not so much an older one. With the complexity of Nora’s situation an older teenager reading this book may feel a little cheated that her feelings aren’t described in a heavier way. I think this book would be excellent in an elementary classroom, especially with students of a mixed race who may be looking for a book with some culture!
Buy: Amazon
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I am excited to read this book…I think I have several students who’d be interested in reading this one! Thanks for your honest opinion.
I do think it would be really great for a classroom – easy to understand and a good story about moving across the border.
This one sounds interesting but I prefer young adult books geared towards older readers.
Sounds like a good discussion book, that makes me happy
Immigration is such a complex issue, I *am* hoping that it will be explored deeply. It does sound like there might be a good mix of the light with some heavier topics.
Is Nora mixed race then? That makes her backstory all the more interesting, why is she alone in Mexico?? haha so many questions.
I am fairly certain Nora is originally from Mexico and lives there with her mom
It is a very good discussion book – the author has posted some discussion questions on her website, too! There aren’t many books about this topic so it’s a great starting point (and it’s not a very long book so it could easily be read in some classrooms)!
Great review! Very detailed and honest. I’ve seen this book around a bit, but haven’t really looked enough to know what it was about.
Thanks everyone!
I understand the complexity of language and how it can be a distraction…. hopefully the glossery in the back will make it easier on anyone who doesn’t get it from context (and in many cases, there won’t be enough context around the sentence to get it).
I have a teacher’s guide in devolpment.
Ari- Nora is 100% Mexican.
The reading level is very accessible and with short chapters, but with the violence scenes and an attempted rape scene, the themes definitly take it into the next realm.
I really, really, really have wanted to read this one ever since Harper sent it for me to give away but not to read. Perfect for the PoC Challenge.
Hi Pam!
I would love to hear what you have to say about Illegal. Are you a librarian? There were so few ARCs to begin with – the disappeared in Decemeber.
Then, I got word that Baker and Taylor gave away 400 in a spring grab bag! (falls over dead)
Where did your ARC come from? (feels like a Where’s Waldo adventure)
Also, this entry closes out this post’s entries to the book contest. I have recorded all of your lucky names into my spreadsheet and I’ll be using facebook to announce on april 1!
Thanks!