This book is gut wrenching. It is a terrifying near future dystopian novel set in 2032 where a wall has been put up between the US and Mexico. The US government has a leader set on eliminating all undocumented immigrants. Going so far as throwing people in concentration camps, separating families, and murdering people. Our main character Vali is undocumented as well as her parents, and when her and Ernie, her eight year old brother, are separated from them, they have to journey across the country by foot in the hopes for sanctuary. Everyone has an ID chip implanted in their wrists and Vali's fake one won't last her much longer. I felt for Vali and her brother deeply. I was so invested in what was happening to them and I was rooting so hard for them the entire book. The scariest part about this book is how possible this reality truly feels. This could really happen if the country continues to go in the direction that it is. It is such an important novel that sheds light on the terror that undocumented immigrants must feel in our society. I grew very attached to Vali because she amazed me with her strength. I admired how she would do absolutely anything for her brother. She reminded me a bit of one of my favorite characters, Katniss Everdeen, because of that quality of fierce love for her sibling. I definitely think this book should be picked up when it comes out September 1st! While it isn't necessarily an "enjoyable" read since it is such a heartbreaking story, it is undeniably a page turner. It didn't end up giving me that full five star feeling, but it was still a great book!

Set in the not too distant future, this engrossing story imagines a dystopian state in which only legal citizens of the United States can live within its borders. High school student and undocumented Guatemalan immigrant, Valentina, lives with her mother and brother in Vermont after her father is detained and taken to an undisclosed location. Everyone is required to wear a chip that is tracked and scanned everywhere to verify citizenship. Her mother’s counterfeit chip malfunctions and she is also detained. Valeria takes her little brother and runs to find sanctuary with her aunt in California, which as seceded from the US. Their grueling, dangerous trip across the country demonstrates the human courage and strength needed for survival.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for review.

My heart is going to need a bit of time to recover after reading. So powerful and so easy to forget this is supposed to be in the dystopian future.

In 2032, every American citizen is tracked by microchip. For a hefty sum, undocumented immigrants can get fake-chips, but those don't always work and when there are upgrades, the fake chips don't work. Vali and her brother, Ernie, live with their mother in Vermont. But when things become dangerous, they leave for safety in New York. When their mother is detained, Vali and Ernie must make the trek to New York themselves.

Hiding in New York cannot be the end. True sanctuary is only in the succeeded country of California, and the President is in the process of building a wall to block entry. Hiring a coyote to get them from New York to California, Vali and Ernie struggle with others to make the trip. But not all will make it.

My pulse raced as I read through this book. Adventure elements run throughout. More disturbing was most times I forgot I was reading a dystopian novel. There are just too many things ringing true to 2020 in this book. Recognizing the trauma of immigrants coming to America from the south; suffering, abuse, rape, starvation it is easy to see how the same could happen in our own country if what is happening now continues.

Recommended for more mature middle schoolers and up. Would be great class discussion on what is fact, what is fiction, and which fiction could easily become fact.

YA Futuristic Dystopian. Vali came to the United States with her parents at a very young age, but her younger brother, Ernie, was born there so was a citizen. The futuristic United States had placed chips in its citizens leaving immigrants to be captured by federal officers who don't mind beating or killing and drones that can carry the illegals in steel nets. Vali's dad was able to purchase counterfeit chips in her and her mother which work for now. So when the President announced additional measures against immigrants, Vali's family goes on the run, hoping for Sanctuary, wherever that may be--no matter what it takes.

Sanctuary hits very close to home--people are kept in cages, the government can abduct those without the proper chip at any time, and it's hard to know who to trust. In this dystopian version of the future, everyone has a microchip implanted in their arm and is scanned throughout the day.

Vali and her brother Ernie have a good life with their Mami in Vermont, but as the government cracks down on those without the proper documentation in their microchips, they must flee. What comes out of this is a heart breaking quest to California, where there is a sanctuary state emerging.

Vali will do anything to protect her brother, including lying to him about what they see and what they need to do to get to California. Her love for him helps drive her forward.

Sanctuary is intense, quick=paced, and well worth a read.

Vali lives with her mother and brother Ernesto in Vermont. In 2032 everyone is implanted with a chip to ensure that only legal residents remain in the U.S. Ernesto’s chip is legal. He was born here. Vali and her mom have counterfeit chips. When the chip system is upgraded, there are violent immigration enforcement raids. Vali and her family set out for California in hopes of joining her aunt. The tale of their journey is emotional, gripping, and feels far too close to reality. There are so many parallels to what has been happening with undocumented immigrants that I finished reading with the feeling that we are not far from this dystopia. I will be recommending this book to my high school students and staff.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

In the not-too-distant future of 2032, the United States has become an Autocracy. The President has been elected for a third term, and only government-approved news, movies or shows are allowed. Citizens have had chips implanted for admittance to everything in the country. The Great American Wall has been erected, and Deportation Forces have been empowered to enter homes or businesses, at any time, without warrants, to arrest anyone illegally in the country.

Fifteen-year-old Valentina González Ramirez was just four years old when her parents brought her to San Diego, fleeing violence in Colombia. After a few years her father was deported and killed. With even more restrictions in place, they had to leave Tía Luna behind and moved to Vermont with her little brother Ernesto who had been born in San Diego. Her mom bought fake chips so she could work and Vali could go to school, while Ernie’s chip came legally.

When Deportation Forces became even more violent Vali’s mom planned to escape to California, which had declared itself a Sanctuary City. In retaliation the President began to build walls around it, sent soldiers to guard the perimeter, and declared that anyone entering it would be arrested. Soon Vali’s mom is arrested by Deportation Forces, and it’s up to Vali to get herself and her little brother safely across the country. California is their only hope.

I had to put down this book multiple times because there were too many realistic things happening to Vali and to our country that reminded me of the current state of our President and our nation. Its true-to-life events reminded me of the need to use our vote wisely in November’s Presidential elections, or be forewarned that our country will go down the same bleak path as what’s described in “Sanctuary.”

Keep an eye on this book for a possible Pura Belpré Award, now that YALSA is part of the committee.

Highly recommended for ages 14 and older.

I received a digital advance reading copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book about a young illegal immigrant and her brother in the "near future" is a harrowing tale about the government rounding up all illegal immigrants. All legal people are implanted with an ID chip. If a person is stopped and when scanned, are found to not have an identity chip, they are violently arrested. Of course, someone has found a way to make counterfeit chips, which almost always malfunction. Vali and her mother have counterfeit chips. Her brother does not. When her mother's chip malfunctions they are separated. Vali and her brother have to get to safety. This is the story of their trials and tribulations. A good read even if it is politicized.

This realistic dystopian was gripping. My desperation for each character to make it to safety was palpable. I am haunted by the fictional losses because I know they represent so many people we have lost because of racist, anti-life policies. I am blown away by the authors ability to create such a realistic story, as frightening as that realism is. I want another book, perhaps from the little brother's perspective. I do not want to leave these characters behind.

A frighteningly possible dystopian novel with a strong female protagonist. In a not so distant future citizens have been embedded with identity chips and the war on illegal immigrants has intensified into genocidal proportions. After their mother's forged identity chip fails at a checkpoint, Vali has no choice but to continue on and get her little brother to safety--the sanctuary state, California. Well written and highly plausible.

Sanctuary is an engaging book of mixed genres. On one hand, it's an excellent piece of Latino literature. On the other, it shares many qualities with classic dystopian novels. The story takes place in the not-too-distant future. The President of the United States is a xenophobic patriot who blames the Country's problems on undocumented immigrants and builds a wall to stop the flow of illegal aliens into the United States. In this new U.S., citizens are microchipped at birth and can be scanned at any time to verify citizenship. ICE raids are common and a new "Deportation Force", with almost unlimited powers, whisks undocumented immigrants away.

Vali, the teenage heroine of this story, is an undocumented immigrant who survives with the help of a black-market microchip. As incidents of violence increase, her Mami decides to take Vali and a younger brother to the Sanctuary state of California (which has seceded from the rest of the Country). Vali's family leaves their home in Vermont late one night. It is a long, dangerous journey full of pain and loss- and Vali will never be the same.

Sanctuary is so riveting because, unlike many dystopian novels, it seems like it COULD happen. Fans of this novel will be excited to note that the conclusion is open-ended, hinting at a possible sequel in the future.

Beautiful, haunting, and relevant are the best words to describe this book. It's extremely pertinent in these times, and is a heavy topic that deserves attention. Well worth a read.