The Land of The Cranes by Aida Salazar

Publisher: Scholastic

Exp. Publication date:  September 15 2020

Pages: 256

Betita is a nine year old girl who lives with her family in Los Angeles. Her papi has told her the story of where she comes from in Mexico and that she is a crane;The Aztecs came from a place called Aztlan, what is now the Southwest US, called the land of the cranes. They left Aztlan to establish their great city in the center of the universe-Tenochtitlan, modern-day Mexico City. It was prophesized that their people would one day return to live among the cranes in their promised land. Papi tells Betita that they are cranes that have come home.

But bad luck hits Betita's family when her beloved father is arrested at his work by the ICE, the Immigration Customs Enforcement, and is deported back to Mexico. Betita and her mother, who is expecting a baby soon, are trying to survive on their own now their husband and father (and his income from work) are gone. But sadly shortly after it, they find themselves arrested to because they don't have the right papers and are locked up inside a detention center outside of Los Angeles. 

During the long time and horrible conditions inside the detention center, tita finds heart in her own poetry and in the community she and her mother find in the camp. But will her family ever be complete again?

The Land of The Cranes is a very gripping book for young readers about an issue that sadly is very realistic and where many immigrant children are dealing with. Being deported or family being deported back to mostly, Mexico and Central America. The author has made this difficult topic easy to understand for young readers, and I think many older readers will, altough the topic is serious and sad, will truly like this important book. Beside the sad deportation parts though, this is also a very lovely story about family, bud it was just heartbreaking to read that they couldn't know when they would be together as a family again. 

I truly recommend reading this gripping book!