Sara K Joiner: Undocumented Immigrants

With the news about families being separated at the border, I thought it might be a good time to read some books about the lives of undocumented people trying to live in the United States. The history of the US is filled with stories of immigrants and refugees finding a new home in this country and making a better life for themselves and their families. The following books are fictional stories about more recent arrivals and the hardships they endure.

Picture Books
Two White Rabbits - Jairo Buitrago
A young girl and her father travel north to the United States for her father to find work.

Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant's Tale - Duncan Tonatiuh
Pancho, guided by a coyote, heads to El Norte to find Papa Rabbit, who has not returned home in some time.

Middle Grade
Journey of the Sparrows - Fran Leeper Buss
Maria and her siblings are refugees from El Salvador. After being smuggled into the United States, they try to survive in their new lives in Chicago.

Until I Find Julian - Patricia Reilly Giff
Mateo's brother Julian is living and working in the United States. When the family doesn't hear from him, Mateo decides to journey north to find his brother.

Growing Up Rita - Michael de Guzman
Rita is a natural-born American citizen, but her mother is undocumented from Mexico. When they are separated after an immigration raid, Rita needs to find the courage to reunite with her mother.

Star In the Forest - Laura Resau
Zitlally's father has been deported back to Mexico, and Zitlally is heartbroken. After a finding a stray dog, she believes the only way her father will return is by keeping the dog safe.

The Sky At Our Feet - Nadia Hashimi
Jason's mother is from Afghanistan, but Jason was born in the United States. After he learns she is undocumented, he worries about the threat of deportation his mother faces. When the worst happens, he heads to New York City alone to find his aunt.

Teens
Illegal - Bettina Restrepo
Nora is fifteen years old and makes a harrowing cross of the border with her mother to search for her father who has gone missing in Houston.

The Border - Steve Schafer
When their families are murdered in Mexico, four teens flee across the Sonoran Desert into Arizona while being pursued by the gang that killed their loved ones.

Something in Between - Melissa de la Cruz
Filipino immigrant Jasmine expects to get a full scholarship to her dream college. But when her parents tell her that the entire family is in the country illegally, Jasmine's dreams collapse.

Crossing the Wire - Will Hobbs
Victor is a fifteen-year-old boy in central Mexico who is desperate to help his family. He decides to cross the border into Arizona to find work.