After a harrowing, dangerous journey from war-torn El Salvador to the United States, teenage Maria and her sister and brother settle in Chicago, waiting for their mother and youngest sister to join them. Welcomed into a community of Salvadoran refugees struggling to survive, Maria works hard to support her family, all the while trying to be "invisible" to lessen the risk of deportation. A gripping, provocative first novel about some of the challenges faced by the people known as "illegal aliens." (Ages 12-16)