The story of Gricelda and her journey, as told to the author, across the Mexico-U.S. border is told in both English and Spanish in this heartbreaking and engaging illustrated memoir. As a young person, Gricelda travels with her mother and younger brother to join her father and older brother in California, leaving behind their home and family in Mexico. The travel is difficult and frightening at times, and Gricelda's first-person account poignantly and candidly communicates her emotions. The narrative is brief and informative, and it's well matched by the illustrations, often spanning a two-page spread with the English and Spanish texts beneath on adjacent pages. The watercolor nature of the illustrations includes precise line work and incredible shading, and occasional collage scenes add both visual and emotional depth. Though this is less a graphic memoir than it is an illustrated account, the artwork brings additional life to Gricelda's story. A revelatory first-hand look at some of the struggles migrants face. A moving epilogue from Gricelda details the circumstances of her life after arriving in the U.S.

The true story of a 15-year-old migrant girl's formidable trek across the U.S.–Mexico border.The memories contained here belong to Gricelda, who crossed la frontera alongside her mother and younger brother to reunite with her father and older brother. She related her story in Spanish to bilingual author Gerster, who shares it here, with the English and Spanish text on facing pages. Following a poignant prayer circle with extended family, Gricelda and her family headed to a squalid Tijuana hotel, where an unexpected stranger came to their hotel door. The trio soon found themselves in a house filled with other families. Unable to escape from the men who bartered over their upcoming journey or the ones drinking and doing drugs in the living room, they waited uncertainly until the day to cross the desert arrived. The trek across the desert proved hard even though a man called El Güero provided them with protection and encouragement. A short epilogue details how Gricelda and her mother and younger brother faced unanticipated challenges adjusting to the U.S. and their new lives, at first sharing a crowded apartment with unwelcoming cousins. Gerster, who has personal experience of family deportation, makes a noble, precise effort to represent Gricelda's voice. Full of subdued blues, yellows, and oranges, Dunnett's artwork captures the hazy scrapbook feel of memories, honoring Gricelda's story and its nightmarish cadence.A confident chronicle from a young voice at the margins. (author's note) (Nonfiction. 12-18)

Gr 6 Up-Photographer, documentary filmmaker, and educator Gerster shares the true account of a 15-year-old Mexican migrant, Gricelda, and her family's terrifying experience crossing the border between Mexico and the United States. This short story straddles the line between picture book and graphic novel, leaning more toward the former; text and imagery are kept separate and somewhat simple, without traditional panels. In the few instances where some semblance of panels are used, they are bordered by a stitched thread, which begins to unravel when Gricelda and her family begin their border-crossing in earnest. The illustrations largely have a wood grain texture overlaid on them and draw upon a varied palette, ranging from a warm honey gold to a cool amethyst, with grays and earth tones in between. Despite the importance of the subject matter, the story's brevity works against it, as much of the experience is shared without significant examination. Readers learn about the dangers from human coyotes, and the art depicts the treacherous wildlife and terrain of the desert, including actual coyotes, but it all happens quickly and is shared passively, reducing its impact. Much of the story is abruptly tied up via a text-only epilogue. The back matter includes an author reflection. Both English and Spanish language narration exists on each page. VERDICT Though this narrative tells an important story of immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border, it could have benefited from more exploration to fill the story out. An additional purchase. Alea Perez, Elmhurst P.L., IL