Efren Divided, by Ernesto Cisneros

     Another book in this season's Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA) books, Efren Divided is the freshman book (meaning his first one) by author Cisneros. This book tells the story of Efren and his family - his two younger siblings, and his mom (Ama) and his dad (Apa). Although Efren and his brother and sister were all born in the United States, his parents were not, and Efren has an underlying fear that one day something will happen to one or both of them - specifically, that they will be deported to Mexico. When his worst fears come to pass, Efren finds himself trying to care for his siblings, stay caught up in school, and pretend he isn't missing his parent terribly.  Meanwhile his other parent has to rely heavily on him to keep the house together and bring the deported parent back home. That is a lot to ask of anyone, but especially a 7th grader!

    The first few chapters of this book seemed really young, like Cisneros wasn't sure how to write a middle grade book, but was instead writing for a middle elementary reader. Not that that is a bad thing, but it took me a while to get into his writing, as it seemed a bit younger than much of the other books you and I read. But Cisneros was able to get a nice flow going, and the story was a very powerful one. It reminded me of an OBOB book from a couple of years ago, The Only Road, by Alexandra Diaz, only for a slightly younger audience. Immigration is a very current topic these last few years in the United States, as we as a country struggle with who is allowed to cross our borders, how long they can stay, if they are allowed to work, how to pay for their health care and education, and more. Efren shines the light on the human element of these issues, and is a good primer for anyone wanting to think more about these issues that are currently being decided for you by adults. It's good to remember that there are real people behind the stories we hear online and read in the papers. Well done, although not an amazing first effort. But an important topic to write and read about. 4 paws!