Don't Ask Me Where I'm From by Jennifer De Leon

Fifteen-year-old half Guatamalian and half Salvadorian Liliana is fine. It’s

 fine that her best friend, Jade, is all caught up in her new boyfriend lately. It’s fine that her inner-city high school is disorganized and underfunded. It’s fine that her father took off again; okay, maybe that isn’t fine. Being left with her increasingly crazy mom? Fine. Her heathen little brothers? Fine, fine, fine. But it turns out Dad did leave one thing behind besides her crazy family. Before he left, he signed Liliana up for a school desegregation program called METCO. And she’s been accepted. Being accepted into METCO, however, isn’t the same as being accepted at her new school. Don't worry because that's fine too.

Author Jennifer De Leon does a wonderful job of writing a compelling and

informative story. Liliana allows us a look at life in America through the eyes of a Latinx main character who is trying to navigate living in two different worlds. Meanwhile, she is struggling to emotionally support her mother and younger twin brothers when her dad is deported. As she comes to terms with her parents' legal status, she must also deal with the fact that she may not see her father for a very long time, or ever. The author does an amazing job of portraying Liliana's anger, frustration, fear, and sadness as she navigates her personal/familiar struggles and the racism and other challenging situations that occur in her school.

This is author Jennifer De Leon's first book, but check out these other books about immigration and racism.