Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros

Last week, I read Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros. This realistic fiction novel is about Efrén Nava, a seventh-grade boy whose parents are undocumented even though he and his younger twin siblings, Max and Mía, were born in the U.S. One day, Efrén can't find his mother after he returns home from school and learns that she was deported to Tijuana, Mexico. When his father takes another job to earn the money to bring her back, Efrén has to look after Max and Mía. Meanwhile, at school, Efrén helps his best friend, David, with his campaign to become school president. After David's opponent, Jennifer Huerta, drops out of school when she and her mother are also deported, Efrén realizes he can't just stand by even if it means betraying David. As the days go on and Efrén deals with the challenges of taking care of his siblings, he channels his inner Soperboy to try to reunite his family.

While reading this book, I was surprised by how suspenseful it was. I just had to find out if Efrén's family would be reunited with Amá, his mother. Although I was disappointed by the ending, I thought it was realistic. I was also engaged by the conflict between Efrén and David. At the beginning, I thought they had a strong friendship, but everything changed when Efrén decided to enter the race for school president. I didn't blame David for feeling betrayed, but at the same time, I could see how he might not be the best candidate because his causes weren't exactly noble. At times, it even seemed like he treated the position as a joke. I did wonder if Efrén and David would make up, though, because I didn't want either of them to be the bad guy after I found out why David wanted to be school president. Additionally, I especially loved Efrén's relationship with his siblings, Max and Mía. It was sweet how he tried his best to take care of them like Amá would, even if he didn't always succeed. One of my favorite parts was when Max and Mía made campaign posters with Efrén to hang up at school. I even got a little teary-eyed. Overall, I enjoyed Efrén Divided. With the realistic, if not happy, ending, this book is a noteworthy choice for those going through a similar situation, but I would also recommend it to anyone who wants to read about strength of family.