Islandborn

By Junot Diaz, Leo Espinosa (Illustrator)

A young girl tries to remember her homeland through the memories of others

4.5/7 Bookroo expert·4.5/5 Goodreads · 4,810 ratings

48 pages· 2,037 words· Est. 16 min read-aloud

$17.99Save 6%

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Bookroo's summary

Lola's class assignment to draw her family's homeland leaves her puzzled—she left The Island as a baby. With the vivid memories of family and friends, Lola's imagination takes flight, guiding her on a magical journey back to her roots. As she pieces together the joyous and haunting tales, Lola learns that places live within us, even if we can't remember them. Will her journey reveal the heart of her family's story? Discover the power of memory and imagination in this beautifully illustrated tale of connection and identity.

From the publisher

Every kid in Lola’s school was from somewhere else. Hers was a school of faraway places. So when Lola’s teacher asks the students to draw a picture of where their families immigrated from, all the kids are excited. Except Lola. She can’t remember The Island—she left when she was just a baby. But with the help of her family and friends, and their memories—joyous, fantastical, heartbreaking, and frightening—Lola’s imagination takes her on an extraordinary journey back to The Island. As she draws closer to the heart of her family’s story, Lola comes to understand the truth of her abuela’s words: “Just because you don’t remember a place doesn’t mean it’s not in you.” Gloriously illustrated and lyrically written, Islandborn is a celebration of creativity, diversity, and our imagination’s boundless ability to connect us—to our families, to our past and to ourselves

Awards

Americas Award (2019)

At a glance

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 48
Words: 2,037
Reading age: 3–6
Audience: Picture
Lexile: AD600L

Themes & topics

Books about family Books about immigration and emigration Books about school Books about teachers Books about family history

What readers & critics say

Reviews

4.5

out of 7

4.5

“The illustrations in this book are phenomenal, filled with gorgeous colors! When a girl needs to remember her home country for a school assignment, she ends up asking those in her neighborhood for help because she moved when she was little and doesn't remember her birth place. She learns a lot about the history of her family and her people. The only reason I didn't rate it higher was because the book talks about a monster that threatened the island and people for many years, until boys and girls stood up to fight it--a great concept for those who know the reference, but the book doesn't actually tell you the island the girl is from. It's referencing a past dictator in the Dominican Republic, but I had to look at a synopsis of the book to fully understand the story.”

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