Pura Belpré Author Award Honor - American Library Association (ALA)

Bilingual English/Spanish. One night, young Amada overhears her parents whisper of moving from Mexico to the other side of the border- to Los Angeles, where greater opportunity awaits.

As she and her family make their journey north, Amada records her fears, hopes, and dreams for their lives in the United States in her diary. How can she leave her best friend behind? What if she can't learn English? What if her family never returns to Mexico? From Juárez to Mexicali to Tijuana to Los Angeles, Amada learns that with her family's love and her belief in herself, she can make any journey and weather any change--here, there, anywhere.