Journey of the Sparrows

Nailed into a crate in the back of a truck, fifteen-year-old Maria, her older sister Julia, their little brother Oscar, and a boy named Tomas endure a cruel journey across the U.S. border and then north to Chicago. There they struggle to find work--cleaning, sewing, washing dishes--always careful to remain "invisible" so the authorities won't arrest and deport them.



Despite the family's ordeals, hope and love can be found--in Maria's budding romance with Tomas, in the help given by a kindly midwife and priest, and most of all, in the stories Maria tells to lift the family's spirits, of a little sparrow who brings a rainbow.



Starkly realistic and tenderly poetic, this powerfully moving story of the secret lives of immigrants who courageously triumph over incredible obstacles is not to be missed.