I don't feel comfortable critiquing / reviewing the validity of the experience relayed in this book. However, as a reader, I appreciated many of the issues that Jennifer De Leon addressed: the Latinx experience, the immigrant experience, and what could be argued is a modern day "busing" program, in addition to the universal issues of learning hard truths, finding one's place and voice, changing friendships, and balancing all the various facets of life. I would recommend this to any one who enjoys contemporary YA as well as readers of #OwnVoices and #WeNeedDiverseBooks titles.

I liked this one and will add it to my classroom library. There were a few bits that didn't strike me as realistic, but I recognize that it's entirely possible that they ARE realistic and that I just don't see those things through my personal lens. Regardless, I enjoyed it and am hoping it will be selected as part of the 2020-2021 Project LIT reading list.

Don't Ask Me Where I'm From - a six word biography by the book's protagonist Liliana. This book is relevant, engaging and compelling. It addresses important issues like education, immigration, white privilege, identity and more with well developed characters and engaging dialogue. An important and timely story that will keep you thinking.

It took me several tries to get started on this book, but once I finished it, I was glad to have read it. I didn't love it, but I did like it enough to enjoy the story. The main character's evolution in the story was a great message. I did feel like the assembly scene was a bit far-fetched, and I work in a high school. I can't imagine that actually playing out and continuing on for as long as it does, but maybe it could at other schools. Overall, I think it's a read students would enjoy.

Five stars

_Don't Ask Me Where I'm From_ features Liliana, who is an extremely likable main character, and her journey through changing schools and learning more about her parents, her society, and finally herself. Liliana has a clear and authentic voice; it's easy to feel like you know her and what and how she thinks from the start. As a result, it's very easy to be on her team, especially as she faces a great deal of adversity at school and at home.

I love that there's a realistic portrayal of race and socioeconomic relations here. Too often, characters in all genres and for all audiences seem to come to quick resolutions over difficult issues or to throw up their hands and give up, agreeing to disagree. The exploration of these concepts is layered and is neither depressing nor overly hopeful. There are specific strategies here for how to have challenging conversations. Some go well, and others don't, and I appreciate that the characters have opportunities to learn and grow but also to cut ties when folks turn out to just be trash. These lessons are all important for young adults (and frankly all of us) to hear.

As an added and only tangentially related note, I want to include that I had the opportunity to see this author speak on a YALLWest panel yesterday, when I had only about 10% of this arc left to finish. I love this novel on its own, but it gives me extra confidence to know that it came from a writer who is engaging - positively - in these larger discussions in other formats, too. I just kept thinking, "Your novel is great, Jennifer De Leon, and you seem awesome!" the whole time: a nice added bonus to have a fabulous seeming author for a terrific book.

I'll absolutely be recommending this book to students and very likely teaching it in my college-level Children's Literature courses in the future. Jason Reynolds talks about books as (not just windows and mirrors but also) time capsules, and for me, _Don't Ask Me Where I'm From_ clearly reflects that motif in this moment. I cannot wait for more from this author!

I loved this book and couldn't stop highlighting and underlining. The characters are real, (and I can confirm this based on my years working with high school students ) and the issues that are addressed around the realities of immigration as it affects a family are also totally true. Moreover, the focus on METCO (busing program) are true-to-life, and I say this based on my experience studying METCO students and teachers for my doctoral dissertation. I think that this book is an essential read for students, teachers, and book groups. It is one of the best YA books that I have read that contextualizes the experience of a young female of color trying to juggle the many aspects her identity.

Don't Ask Me Where I'm From is a powerful book along the lines of Angie Thomas's The Hate You Give. . Liliana is a very intelligent teen-aged girl who loves to write. Her mother is from El Salvador and her father from Guatemala. Both parents are undocumented, but Liliana and her twin brothers are U.S. citizens, having been born in the states. Liliana's Dad is gone again and when they find out he's been deported, her mother comes undone. To top it off, Liliana was accepted into the METCO program and has to take a bus to a swanky school in Boston, an hour from her home in Jamaica Plain. Of course she's nervous, but she has the support of her best friend Jade, when Jade can tear herself away from her new boyfriend. Liliana soon gets into the routine of smaller classes and teachers who challenge students to think outside the box. Her favorite program is a writing lab. The teacher poses questions for the students to answer and Liliana finds herself glossing over the less savory parts of her life. She also catches the eye of the hunky Duncan and starts spending time with him, in spite of warning from the other METCO students. This can't go on for long. Once horrible, racist memes begin to show up on social media, tempers start to boil. The racism begins to run rampant on all sides. Liliana has to decide whether to stand up for herself and fight, or to come up with another way to give voice to everyone who wants to be heard.

Jennifer De Leon has created a book that everyone must read. Diversity in young adult fiction is growing by leaps and bounds and Don't Ask Me Where I'm From is another fantastic book delving into another person''s story that needs to be told. This would be an excellent classroom book - tons of room for discussion and projects. De Leon is a very good writer and handles sensitive subject matter with dignity and compassion..

Excellent book about the very timely issue of the immigration debate in the United States. Lili was a great character who was very relatable. The author did a fantastic job of putting the reader in Lili's shoes. A powerful, first hand look at immigration in our country and how it affects young people. Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the advance Kindle copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for this one, which doesn’t release until 8.4.20. Add it to your purchase lists and TBRs though, as it is timely and riveting. First-generation American Liliana Cruz is surprised to learn that her parents signed her up for METCO, a program that takes Boston teens to the suburbs to integrate schools. When she is accepted, Lili finds herself in a whole new world. When she learns that her father has been deported and that both of her parents are undocumented, she feels even more out of place. Can she cope with her home reality and still blend in? Highly recommended for grades 8+.

I wasn’t able to get into the story. It took me awhile to figure out where the plot was going and the writing style was difficult for me to get into. I did like that the main character was from Latin America and we got to see a different perspective.

The story grabbed me on the first page and held on until the last. Lilliana is chosen for a program out of her inner-city Boston high school for an "integrated" school in the suburbs. (Read: bussing in kids of color). She makes friends with other kids in the program as well as upper-middle class suburbanites. Her identity becomes stronger as she experiences these new friendships.

Lilliana never knew her parents were undocumented and now her dad has been deported. What does this mean for her family? I have kids in my own classroom who could relate to Lili's story. I hope they get a chance to read about her in order to look into the literary mirror this will be for them.

*The only reason for 4 stars instead of 5: In once scene, Lili forgets her phone and has to use the office line to call her mother. However, that same day she is texting her boyfriend. Maybe I missed a device somewhere, but it seemed incongruent.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Great YA novel about a group of exceptional inner city minority students who are given scholarships to a prestigious, mostly white, suburban school. Lili, the protagonist, struggles to fit in and to blend her life at home with her life at the school. There are racial and ethnic slurs and issues, and Lili is able to find the strength to be part of the solution and to bring understanding and empathy to her school community.

I am so thankful to NetGalley and Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books for the ARC of this ebook! Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From does a wonderful job of demonstrating systematic racism, daily segregation, white fragility, and so much more. I really felt for Lillian and learned along with her about other border walls that have existed throughout history. It was an easy and informative YA novel! Keep your eyes peeled for this book, it is being published on May 5th!!

Don't Ask Me Where I'm From is a great read. Liliana's story feels real, relatable, and especially important right now. The world needs more books that give voices to young women of color and their unique life experiences, as well as humanizing stories of immigration. Even with these big themes, any kid (or adult) can understand the universal feeling of trying to find your place in the world.

First-generation American LatinX Liliana Cruz does what it takes to fit in at her new nearly all-white school. But when family secrets spill out and racism at school ramps up, she must decide what she believes in and take a stand. ~ From the Publisher
Similar to The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas, this title let’s the reader experience what it is like to be from a different culture trying to fit in to their school community. Ms. De Leon’s writing pulls the reader into Liliana Cruz’s world and builds empathy toward her and the secret her family is keeping. Most teens reading this story will identify with at least one of the characters.
The storyline will have readers rooting for Liliana and admiration for her boldness to do something about her current school situation. Don’t Ask Me Where I Am from will be savored by those readers who like realistic fiction and a cause to get behind . Highly recommended for all teens.
I received an ARC ebook from Netgalley and the publisher, Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing, in exchange for an honest review.

This book has a beautiful cover and message. I’m 3rd generation Mexican American, 41, and I have a daughter who is 16 so I felt like I should really relate to several aspects of this book. I was SO glad I was chosen to read an ARC of this book.

I have attended schools like both in this book and it’s pretty spot on. There’s a lot that both teens and adults don’t understand about other races and cultures. People in general don’t understand each other or have compassion for each other. I actually liked that the assembly didn’t have the perfect outcome. It was realistic. I could totally see this exact thing happen in schools today. I also liked that Liliana didn’t give up. These conversations should happen. They need to happen. My daughter had the chance to attend a STEM Academy at a school much like Westburg she ultimately turned it down but I worried about these type of things happening if she did attend.

I gave this book a four star rating because there were things that didn’t feel right to me. I’m not sure if there is some sort of METCO program out there but would they really only have a spot for 10-15 kids? That’s not many. Then Liliana didn’t know much about being an immigrant. Even if her parents never talked about it wouldn’t other people in her community? Then there was their mom, no consistent job and yet she’s zoned out watching the news and not even cooking for her family?! I get being depressed and all that but I’ve just never met a Latinx mom like that. The last thing was the way Liliana spoke. Loved with a capital L? Do teens talk like that today? Maybe it’s a Boston Latinx thing? Seems a bit 90s to me. There were other things that bothered me but I don’t want to spoil the story.

Over all, this book was a page turner, I read it in two days. I was eager to find out what happened next and how the story ended.

This is definitely a book for these times. I highly recommend this book to young people and even older people to help understand what it is like to be caught up in cultural political manipulation. How difficult it must be for people without citizenship status to spend their lives living in another country and suddenly find it unwelcoming to you. The children who were born here are left without their parents to care for them and lives are torn apart. This is a real thing and it is important that Americans pay attention and have compassion for their neighbors and community members that are having to face deportation. This book reminds us that the people involved are just like us. The red tape that prevented following government directions to citizenship are things that could have been prevented with support from the community and a little compassion.

Really enjoyed this one a lot although I got stuck on a few of the slang terms. The book follows Lilliana's story where she is given the opportunity to go to a predominantly white school for better education opportunities under a program called METCO. In her new school, Lilliana feels she doesn't belong anywhere and even when relationships with others start to develop she finds life at her new school hard to navigate. The book shines light on the experience of a child with undocumented parents and the subtle and not so subtle racism that occurs when Lilliana is in her new situation. I thought the writing was great, Lilliana was relatable and I sped right through this.

Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From by Jennifer DeLeon is a story that needs to be told. We need minority characters who aren’t perpetuating some of the negative stereotypes out there, and Lilianna is a great example. She is an American girl with Latinx blood living in the city with her parents and two brothers when suddenly she is accepted into the METCO program which ships in inner-city minorities to an all-white, uber-rich high school in the suburbs. It’s her father’s dream for her to attend this school. She would love to tell him about it, but he’s been gone for almost a month now. Her mom is spiraling into depression, and while her new school is nice, she is really starting to see a sharp contrast between the other METCO students and the regular students and the racial tension is building. Lilianna tries her best to straddle both worlds while worrying about her family. When she discovers where her father is, so much of her sheltered life starts to make sense. Definitely an eye-opening discussion starter of a novel. This would make a great book club book for high schools. Publish date May 5th 2020 #dontaskmewhereimfrom #jenniferdeleon

I feel like there aren’t many books on the market with main characters who are POC and even less who are LatinX. When I read the synopsis for Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From I immediately put it on my TBR, I was so excited and a bit nervous to see the portrayal of a Latina. I have to say I enjoyed this book a lot. It was interesting but also an important read that dealt with topics that aren’t represented often in books, much less YA. We see Liliana navigate her way at a new, prominently white, school and the racial tensions that result from it. On top of that, she has to deal with her family, an absent father and struggling mother. I’m definitely going to be keeping an eye out for whatever the author publishes next.