DON'T ASK ME WHERE I'M FROM

Narrator Inés del Castillo gives 15-year-old Lilliana an authentic-sounding voice as she speaks directly to the listener. This timely novel examines immigration, legal and illegal, as well as the shortcomings of well-meaning but poorly executed attempts to diversify schools. Del Castillo's teenage vernacular is realistic as Lilliana deals with a life-changing opportunity and the uncovering of family secrets. Years ago, her parents signed her up for METCO, a program that gives inner-city Boston students an opportunity to attend a better suburban school. Finally, sophomore year, she's in. Del Castillo captures Lillianna's varied emotions as she tries to fit in among the wealthy suburbanites, learns her family's secrets, finds her voice, and moves to connect her worlds. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2020]