Manuelito

Manuelito is a graphic novel depicting a young boys journey from Guatemala to the United States.
Manuelito's story speaks to the events that led to him having to leave his home. It tells about how scary and rough the journey was to the United States and how in the end he was returned to Guatemala.

I would have wanted to learn more about what happened once he returned to Guatemala. With that said, I appreciated what had been told as it is a story that so many children share in common and needs to be told. The graphics were good and conveyed emotion very well. This is a good start to learning more about the immigrant story from Guatemala and other Central American countries.

I received a digital copy via the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. At the time of this review, I read a digital copy from my library and is based on that copy.

The text reads very primary, as do the illustrations, so definitely more for upper elem/middle grade. Straight forward and very timely story of a young boy attempting to immigrate as a refugee from Guatamala to America, but ultimately being caught and deported by ICE once in America. The backmatter might be helpful for discussions.