La Línea

• Genre: Fiction; young adult contemporary
• Originally Published: 2006
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 650L; grades 7-9
• Structure/Length: 26 chapters plus an epilogue; approx. 136 pages
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: Miguel and his younger sister Elena brave hardship and danger when they leave Mexico to cross the border into California to finally reunite with their family. In a series of never-ending challenges, Miguel learns the power of perseverance and realizes just how important family is.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: immigration; dangerous border crossing; references to rape; references to sexually transmitted diseases

Ann Jaramillo, Author

• Bio: Born in 1949; teaches English as a Second Language to Mexican American middle schoolers in California; married to Luis Jaramillo, an attorney who represents migrant farmworkers; La Línea is her first novel
• Awards: Starred review from Booklist; ALA Best Book for Young Adults (2007)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• Family Is Everything
• Coming of Age: Crossing Lines
• ¡Sí, se puede! Grit Overcomes Adversity

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the historical and social contexts regarding “the American dream” as it impacts the characters’ desires to cross the US-Mexico border.
• Analyze paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of Family Is Everything, Coming of Age: Crossing Lines, and ¡Sí, se puede! Grit Overcomes Adversity.