Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Wed Nov 30 00:00:00 CST 2022)

Cast into the political firestorm of an aspiring U.S. senator's campaign, a Guatemalan immigrant teen grapples with her newfound notoriety.It's the end of Milagros Vargas' senior year of high school in Corpus Christi, Texas. So far, aspiring marine biologist Millie's accepted a spot at Stanford, although her mom doesn't yet know this. As Millie became the second caretaker of her family after her father's death, her mom expanded her housekeeping job for the Wheelers, an affluent White family. For Millie, Mr. Wheeler's campaign for the U.S. Senate means her mom will be away from her family more, caring for the Wheelers' young daughter. Then, the senatorial candidate highlights Millie and her family as examples of exemplary immigrants during a campaign speech, resulting in public support as well as hostility from internet trolls and anonymous haters. When someone sets the Vargas home on fire, they have no choice but to accept the offer to temporarily move in with the Wheelers, even as Millie finds herself inexplicably drawn toward their son, Charlie. Setting her story against the backdrop of a nameless, anti-immigrant White House administration, Mickelson does a remarkable job of plunging into complex issues with tremendous nuance. Millie's acquired U.S. citizenship, after arriving as an undocumented asylum seeker, further complicates the discourse, raising stark questions around common debates about which immigrants "deserve" to be welcomed. Full of thought-provoking conversations, messy answers, and lots of heart, this novel's a quiet knockout.Utterly compelling. (Fiction. 12-18)

ALA Booklist (Wed Nov 30 00:00:00 CST 2022)

Milagros "Millie" Vargas came from Guatemala as a baby with her asylum-seeking parents. In 2018, she is a senior in high school and a naturalized citizen. The last thing she wants is to be the poster girl for "good immigrants," yet she finds herself in that role, first by happenstance and, much later, by choice. Much of the plot turns around the warm relationship between her now widowed mother and her mother's employers, Mr. and Dr. Wheeler and their son, Charlie. Mr. Wheeler is running for Congress, and he thinks nothing of using Millie and her mother as examples of immigrants contributing to their society. The Wheelers mean well, but they don't consider the potential repercussions, and it's only when Millie sees that there are other examples of people who have more to lose than she does but are willing to speak does she find a place for herself and is willing to accept the risks involved. The novel solidly presents issues DREAMers face, such as being separated from their families, in an appealing, authentic story featuring engaging, realistic characters.

Horn Book (Mon Feb 06 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Millie Vargas is a standout high school senior in Corpus Christi, Texas, whose family came to the United States from Guatemala as asylum seekers when she was a baby; she cares for her three younger siblings while her widowed mother works as a housekeeper. Millie is now a citizen, but her world is turned upside down when her mother's employer, who is running for U.S. Senate, outs Millie's previously undocumented status to the media while stating his case for supporting immigration. This revelation makes the Vargas family a target of xenophobic actions, with tragic results. Mickelson's novel explores the devastating effect that a seemingly inconsequential action, done for political gain, can have. Millie confronts situations that would be difficult for even the most resilient of adults to face, and she must decide whether to shield herself and her family from further attacks or accept heavy responsibility and public scrutiny as an advocate for immigrants who do not have the benefit of the protections she holds as a citizen. The reader is drawn into Millie's heartbreaking inner monologue as the story pointedly cultivates informed empathy for the diversity of immigrant experiences while emphasizing the importance of humility for those who stand as allies. Nicholas A. Brown

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Cast into the political firestorm of an aspiring U.S. senator's campaign, a Guatemalan immigrant teen grapples with her newfound notoriety.It's the end of Milagros Vargas' senior year of high school in Corpus Christi, Texas. So far, aspiring marine biologist Millie's accepted a spot at Stanford, although her mom doesn't yet know this. As Millie became the second caretaker of her family after her father's death, her mom expanded her housekeeping job for the Wheelers, an affluent White family. For Millie, Mr. Wheeler's campaign for the U.S. Senate means her mom will be away from her family more, caring for the Wheelers' young daughter. Then, the senatorial candidate highlights Millie and her family as examples of exemplary immigrants during a campaign speech, resulting in public support as well as hostility from internet trolls and anonymous haters. When someone sets the Vargas home on fire, they have no choice but to accept the offer to temporarily move in with the Wheelers, even as Millie finds herself inexplicably drawn toward their son, Charlie. Setting her story against the backdrop of a nameless, anti-immigrant White House administration, Mickelson does a remarkable job of plunging into complex issues with tremendous nuance. Millie's acquired U.S. citizenship, after arriving as an undocumented asylum seeker, further complicates the discourse, raising stark questions around common debates about which immigrants "deserve" to be welcomed. Full of thought-provoking conversations, messy answers, and lots of heart, this novel's a quiet knockout.Utterly compelling. (Fiction. 12-18)