In this riveting, action-packed novel from award-winning author Will Hobbs, a teenage boy hoping to help his loved ones must fight for his life as he makes the dangerous journey across the Mexican border into the United States. This middle grade novel is an excellent choice for tween readers in grades 5 to 6, especially during homeschooling. It's a fun way to keep your child entertained and engaged while not in the classroom.

When falling crop prices threaten his family with starvation, fifteen-year-old Victor Flores heads north in an attempt to cross the wire from Mexico into America so he can find work and help ease the finances at home.

But with no coyote money to pay the smugglers who sneak illegal workers across the border, Victor struggles to survive as he jumps trains, stows away on trucks, and hikes grueling miles through the Arizona desert.

Victor's passage is fraught with freezing cold, scorching heat, hunger, and dead ends. It's a gauntlet run by many attempting to cross the border, but few make it. Through Victor's desperate perseverance, Will Hobbs brings to life a story that is true for many, polarizing for some, but life-changing for all who read it.

Acclaim for Crossing the Wire includes the following: New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age, Junior Library Guild Selection, Americas Awards Commended Title, Heartland Award, Southwest Book Award, and Notable Books for Global Society.

--Booklist

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 04/10/2007
ISBN: 9780060741402
Pages: 216
Weight: 0.33lbs
Size: 7.67h x 5.22w x 0.51d

Review Citations: Kliatt 05/01/2007 pg. 24

Accelerated Reader Quiz #/Name: 105478 / Crossing the Wire
Reading Level: 4.3 / Interest Level: Middle Grade / Point Value: 8