La Linea

( 7 )

Overview

When fifteen-year-old Miguel leaves his rancho deep in Mexico to migrate to California across la linea, the border, his life is about to begin. Or so her thins.

Facil. Everyone told us how easy it was to hop on board the train. And everyone told us about the unlucky ones who didn't make it. The ones who survived were all over town, broken and abandoned, but still living. They were everywhere.

Miguel's carefully laid plans change suddenly when ...

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More About This Book

Overview

When fifteen-year-old Miguel leaves his rancho deep in Mexico to migrate to California across la linea, the border, his life is about to begin. Or so her thins.

Facil. Everyone told us how easy it was to hop on board the train. And everyone told us about the unlucky ones who didn't make it. The ones who survived were all over town, broken and abandoned, but still living. They were everywhere.

Miguel's carefully laid plans change suddenly when his younger sister, Elena, disguises herself and follows him. Together, Miguel and Elena endure hardships and danger on their journey of desperation and desire, loyalty and betrayal. An epilogue, set ten years after the events of the story, show that you can't always count on dreams- even the ones that come true.

Ann Jaramillo debuts as a strong new voice in La Linea, a novel of life-changing, cliff-hanging moments.

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Editorial Reviews

Children's Literature
Miguel has been waiting forever for his father to tell him it is time to leave San Jacinto, Mexico, to join his parents in Mexico. On his fifteenth birthday, instead of the expected presents, he receives word from his father that his time has come. He thinks he's leaving his grandmother and sister Elena behind, but Elena is as determined to cross "la linea" and go north as Miguel is. Right from the start, his journey does not progress the way Miguel thought it would. He and Elena are faced with repeated decisions about whether or not they can trust the people they meet along the way. To have any chance of getting to California, they must jump onto a moving train, survive the streets of small towns along the way, negotiate for their survival, face robbery and physical violence, and nearly die in their trek across the desert. Will their determination be enough to overcome the corruption and dangers that separate them from "la linea" and the promise of a better life? Their desperate journey is portrayed in vivid and realistic text. In final notes, Jaramillo explains to readers that although the story is fiction, it is based on actual events.Cultural references and Spanish words and phrases are woven gracefully into the text to give readers a genuine flavor of the cultural journey. 2006, Roaring Brook Press/Holtzbrinck Publishing, Ages 10 to 15.
—Carol Ann Lloyd-Stanger
VOYA
El Norte represents the celluloid American dream that only those from the outside looking in through television, movies, advertisements, and stories can desire and perhaps willingly sacrifice everything to attain. To all those hungry and desperate souls from Mexico southward, la Lfnea is an unseen line or border that keeps them from their dream. The border is patrolled formally by the U.S. Border Patrol as well as informally by Mexican bandits who rob, rape and often murder the illegal immigrants. The immigrants are often forced to employ coyotes whose trustworthiness is frequently in question to navigate the desert and get them to the border. Miguel has waited seven long years for the money, instructions, and okay from his Papa to start his own perilous journey across la Lfnea, but he did not bargain for his sister, Elena, sneaking along. The two face hardships that leave them with empty pockets and hungry bellies, and turned all the way around. Their dangerous journey is often thwarted by unforeseen variables such as the mata gente or "people killer," a freight train headed north that leaves many illegals who try to jump on it crippled, deformed, and even dead. There are countless pitfalls to the crossing but also many bright spots offered by kind and self-sacrificing countrymen. This well-written account of the perils of illegal border crossing would make a worthwhile read for students studying history, geography, or cultures and is a solid recommendation for both school and public libraries. VOYA CODES: 4Q 3P M J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High,defined as grades 10 to 12). 2006, A Deborah Brodie Book/Roaring Brook, 144p., Ages 11 to 18.
—Ava Ehde
School Library Journal
Gr 5 Up-Six years ago, Miguel and Elena's mother and father left Mexico and crossed la l'nea into California. On the morning of Miguel's 15th birthday, he receives a note from his father telling him that it is time for him to join them. Miguel is sad to leave his grandmother and sister behind, but is excited about being reunited with his parents. Unbeknownst to Miguel, Elena, 13, disguises herself and joins him on the difficult journey. They are robbed, threatened, and almost perish in a desperate trek across the desert. The pacing of the plot is quick and driven, and the characters are realistically drawn. They interact as true siblings do, sometimes with love and sometimes not. Cultural and geographical background information is expertly woven into the novel. The author creates a mood of desperation and anxiety as the story unfolds and Miguel and Elena discover that crossing la l'nea will forever change the way they look at themselves and the world. Although the epilogue illuminates their lives as adults, the novel ends abruptly, leaving readers without the anticipated emotional release of their reunion with their parents.-Melissa Christy Buron, Epps Island Elementary, Houston, TX Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
A Mexican teen risks everything to emigrate illegally to the U.S. to join his family and find a new life. Biding his time for six years in a backwater Mexican village, Miguel, his younger sister Elena and his grandmother survive on money his parents send monthly from California. Miguel is convinced his future also lies across la l'nea in California. On Miguel's 15th birthday, his father finally sends money and instructions for Miguel to head north. But Miguel's careful plans disintegrate when he discovers Elena has followed him. After their bus is diverted south and their money stolen, they are on their own and their only option is to steal a ride on the infamous mata gente, a freight train heading north known as the "people killer." If they survive the ride, they still face a two-day desert trek across the U.S. border. Despite their brother-sister antipathy, Miguel and Elena stick together, escaping one danger after another to cross the border and discover what lies on the other side. A nail-biting real-life adventure. (author's note) (Fiction. 12+)
From the Publisher

“A gripping contemporary survival adventure, this spare first novel is also a heart-wrenching family story of courage, betrayal, and love.”—Booklist, Starred Review “Jaramillo’s first novel is convincing and effective.”—The Horn Book Magazine
  “A nail-biting real-life adventure.”—Kirkus Reviews
“This well-written account of the perils of illegal border crossing would make a worthwhile read for students studying history, geography, or cultures and is a solid recommendation for both school and public libraries.”—Voices of Youth Advocates

“The author creates a mood of desperation and anxiety as the story unfolds and Miguel and Elena discover that crossing la línea will forever change the way they look at themselves and the world.”—School Library Journal

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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781596431546
  • Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
  • Publication date: 4/4/2006
  • Edition description: First Edition
  • Edition number: 1
  • Pages: 144
  • Sales rank: 352,116
  • Age range: 10 - 14 Years
  • Lexile: 650L (what's this?)
  • Product dimensions: 5.70 (w) x 8.47 (h) x 0.67 (d)

Meet the Author


Ann Jaramillo teaches English as a Second Language to Mexican-American seventh and eighth graders in Salinas, California.
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 7 )
Rating Distribution

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Sort by: Showing all of 7 Customer Reviews

  • Posted July 20, 2012

    Very good book!

    My 11yr. old son really enjoyed la linea. He did have to keep his computer nearby while reading it in order to translate some of the spanish words. He said if he didn't he would not have really understood the storyline. However, he did learn some spanish!

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  • Posted January 7, 2010

    La linea

    In Ann Jaramillo's novel La Linea, a 15 year old boy by the name of Miguel finally gets his chance to leave his Mexican village and cross the border illegally to get to his parents in California. Miguel finds out that his 13 year old sister, Elena, isn't staying behind so easily, taking them on an adventure to a better world.
    In Chapter 20 page 68, Miguel describes the children on top of the train. He says, " The other mata gente hoppers, most of them young, children really, perched on the cars in front of us, like little birds on a limb riding out a storm." I could really see in my head these young kids struggling to stay on top of the "people killer". Jaramillo's word choice was great.Jaramillo also showed the frustrations of Miguel in several chapters. In Chapter 6 page 21 Miguel says," Each failure I had on the rancho was just more proof that my future lay across la linea in California." To me this line expresses and why it's important for him to move to California. He sees a better chance to succeed. In chapter 9 page 31, during his last conversation with his friends, he says," My friends still believe they would somehow remember everything about me. I knew they would forget." Chuy and Lalo are great friends with Miguel. Miguel leaving only means he'll might or never will see his friends again.
    This book was questioning and at the same time emotional. This story may be fiction, but this problem exists to this day. I emotionally connected to this book. As an American citizen, we never know how good we have it. The trials and tribulations that Miguel and Elena had to go through I can't even fathom. I can tell that Jaramillo wrote the book to inform and enjoy. Jaramillo was also proving that struggles can bring family together. Her characters Miguel and Elena may not have been your typical brother and sister, but they stuck together through no matter what. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a book that inspires and likes mysterious adventures.

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  • Posted November 19, 2009

    Son liked this one

    My son didn't think he would like this book and ended up loving it!

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  • Posted December 6, 2008

    This Is A Great Book!

    La Linea is an amazing book.I love the characters!This is so interesting but I hate it when Javi leaves them,it's just horrible!I don't know what more to say,this is a great book for almost anyone,but you might get a little aggrivated with all the Spanish.

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  • Posted December 4, 2008

    This book was amazing and everyone should read it.

    This book seemed so real I thought that it was. It really gets you hooked and you can't stop reading it. The way Ann Jaramillo made this book seemed so real I couldn't beleive it. She added so many things to it that made you have to read on. This book is great and very truthful and thrilling. I think that everyone should read this book.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 30, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted June 5, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

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