The Only Road by Alexandra Diaz

Summary: “The Only Road” written by Alexandria Diaz revolves around a young boy named Jaime and the challenges he faces in his country, Guatemala. When his cousin is murdered by the local gang called the "Alphas," the gang gives him a choice - either work with them or get hurt or killed. Not wanting to join them, Jaime and his cousin Angela embark on a dangerous journey to flee Guatemala and immigrate to the United States to live with his older brother. They believe that this is the only way to make a better life for themselves and to escape from the dangerous lifestyle they were destined to live.

Target Audience: The target audience for this book would be students ranging in grade levels between 5th-10th grade. The topics that are discussed may be relatable to many students within these grade levels because this typically the time when peer pressure starts to arise and many children are faced with either appeasing their peers or doing the morally right thing. This book also talks about the ramifications of gang related activities, which unfortunately could also be relatable to students in urban communities. I think that older students who may have immigrated to the U.S. when they were young, or just students whose families have immigrated to the U.S. would really benefit from reading a book such as this because they would be able to relate to the experiences that Jaime and Angela have as well.

Evaluation Based on Donna Norton's Text: Within Donna Norton's (2007) text, "Through The Eyes of a Child," Norton gives criteria for evaluating multicultural children's literature. Based on Norton's criteria, I do believe that this book is suitable for students and is an accurate representation of diversity in children's literature. The book touches on very taboo topics, such as gangs, drugs, and violence and doesn't work to glorify any of the characters or the experiences that they go through. I admire that the book doesn't stray away from bluntly depicting the harsh realities that many children in other countries must face at such a young age.

Reader Response Activity: A reader response activity that I would have students participate in regarding this book would be to answer some reflective questions based on the book. In the back of the book, the author helpfully provides a "Reading Group Guide" that has a lot of useful questions to have students answer. I would group my students together in pods and have them work with each other to answer the questions. Then, we would come back together as a class and I would give student volunteers the opportunity to share out and discuss their thoughts.

APA: Diaz, A. (2016). The Only Road. Simon & Schuster/ Paula Wiseman Books.

Genre: Young Adult Fiction

Readibility Lexile: 830L

For more information visit: https://www.amazon.com/Only-Road-Alexandra-Diaz/dp/1481457500

Blog Requirements: Supports a diverse protagonist, Written in the last four years (2016).