Cbr17bingo Border (leaving Cuba’s borders is dangerous, entering the US boarding is difficult)
While a tense story, How to Say Goodbye in Cuban by Daniel Miyares, is also a delightful one of overcoming the adversity of the times. Though immigration stories are not new, the author makes this based on real events (his own fathers journey from Cuba to the States) fresh. This is a relatively unknown story as I have not seen a lot of stories that were set so much in Cuba with little of the afterwards. Still, it is a relatable story in many areas as people who live in countries where war, politics and poverty come together in dire situations and the desperate solutions people come up with is universal.
Both intense and cozy illustrations tie things together. They are not muted or overly colorful. They are not graphic, but do not shy away from the truth or possible truths. The details are both slightly busy, but also minimal. Both the art and story gives you what you need, but from the point of view of a child who is not fully aware of how desperate the situation they are in is, yet he is old enough to know the dangers. I would say it is meant for strong ages 10 and up, and I would normally say up to a younger and/or normal 14 year-old, but I would really love older readers to try it as well, just because it is so well done.
Read via an online reader copy, it is due late September/early October 2025. I am looking forward to recommending this to everyone. Now, granted, it is not my WOW WOW WOW BEST BOOK but it is in the top 10 to 15.