A poignant and passionate tale about the risks people will take for a new and better life, and the sacrifices they will make to protect the ones they love.On the night Sonia Ocampo is born, the village folk of Tres Montes survive the most horrific storm they have ever seen. Immediately they believe Sonia must possess a special gift to heal and protect. But after a young boy dies despite her prayers, sixteen-year-old Sonia is filled with shame and a sense of utter powerlessness. The hundreds of tiny gold symbols pinned to her shawl now only seem like empty, superstitious charms. At once she longs to escape a life built on lies. With the help of her aunt, Sonia takes a train to the city to begin a post in the household of a wealthy woman. Perhaps all their fortunes will now improve? However, a short time later Sonia hears the devastating news that her brother has gone missing from the village. It is not the first time a young man has disappeared in the region, and everyone knows all too well what his fate may be. Sonia must now risk absolutely everything to find him, and find a way to bring him home.

 

 

This book is the winner of numerous awards

This book is part of a book series called Playaway Young Adult .

This book has been graded for interest at 14 years.

This book is aimed at Young Adult readers. The term Young Adult (YA) is used for books which have the following characteristics: (1) aimed at ages 12-18 years, US grades 7-12, UK school years 8-15, (2) around 50-75k words long, (3) main character is aged 12-18 years, (4) topics include self-reflection, internal conflict vs external, analyzing life and its meaning, (5) point of view is often in the first person, and (6) swearing, violence, romance and sexuality are allowed. This book was published in 2012 by Walker Books Ltd .

Meg Medina is the author of Tia Isa Wants a Car, illustrated by Claudio Munoz. The daughter of Cuban immigrants, she grew up in Queens, New York, and now lives in Richmond, Virginia.