Twelve-year-old Felipe and his younger sister, Romy, literally are running for their lives. Along with their mother, they are trying to escape El Salvador, haunted by fears of what has happened to their father, Jacinto, whose disappearance has propelled them into flight. Jacinto's political activities against the government had made him a target. Now that he has apparently been caught, their mother is following the advice he once gave her: "If they come for me, you and the children - grab hands and run." Felipe, Romy and their mother, Paloma, must rely on their strength, their wits, and most of all, one another, to survive as they journey by any means they can find through Central America and Mexico and on into the United States, where they are fugitives still. Insight into human nature, understanding and the political barriers to justice in many countries, including our own, are blended into this swiftly-moving first-person narrative that ends with a chapter set in Wisconsin. (Ages 11-14)

An El Salvadorian family flees political oppression in their homeland and takes a perilous journey north, through Mexico to America, where they hope they will find a better life. A ‘compelling, provocative, and exciting novel.’—V. ‘Details of the brutal realities in El Salvador are dexterously woven into the story of one family’s struggle to beat the odds.’—Publishers Weekly. ‘Not to be missed.’—H.