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From School Library Journal

January 1, 2023

Gr 9 Up-Seventeen-year-old Rania is set to graduate alongside her BFF Fatima, has a summer job lined up and feels everything is going her way. But her mother Ammi, who is in the process of applying for political asylum from Pakistan, is detained one night in an ICE raid. The normalcy of her senior year shatters. Rania lands in a shelter with her little brother. But Ammi, full of dreams of higher education for her children, has hustled and done a lot of things right: there is money stashed, paperwork in order, a lawyer on call, and the car she used as an Uber driver is parked outside the apartment. Rania can take off in the car and take what she can into her own hands to help her mother's case, but not without emotional risk. Readers stepping lightly into romance will appreciate the slow build of affection that blossoms between Rania and Carlos, who has also been alone since his aunt was deported to Mexico. As Rania seeks support from her estranged extended family, readers get a glimpse into Pakistani dating norms, the dangers facing journalists, and the ongoing oppression of women in her home country. A relatable read for teens discovering their native cultures, figuring out the nuances in complex parental relationships, and taking risks while moored with a strong sense of identity and an attuned moral compass. VERDICT Recommended for readers looking for greater understanding of the immigration experience via a masterful blend of character- and plot-based storytelling.-Sara Lissa Paulson

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From Booklist

Starred review from October 1, 2022
Grades 7-12 *Starred Review* On the precipice of her high-school graduation, Raina is excited to begin the next phase of her life, including starting college and getting her first job at a bookstore. One thing she doesn't expect is the nighttime ICE raid that leads to her mother being detained. Raina is now thrust into a world she doesn't know or understand--she must fight for her mother's freedom and the asylum that they all believe they were promised. Raina must now also become her younger brother's surrogate mother and do whatever she needs to do to make sure they survive. When Raina and her little brother escape from a state home with their new ally, Carlos, they come up with plan after plan to escape the horror of being placed in another group home or of possibly being deported. Budhos' newest novel is one that invokes the humanity of undocumented immigrants. It is in this story that we truly experience the raw vulnerability of what many immigrants experience. Budhos weaves a rich tapestry of words that navigates a yearning for acceptance, love, and the unerring need for freedom.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From Publisher's Weekly

September 19, 2022
When U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detains her mother, Pakistani teen Rania Hasan struggles to navigate the aftermath in a gut-wrenching tale by Budhos (The Long Ride). Following her journalist father's disappearance when Rania was younger, she and her pregnant mother fled Pakistan, immigrating to the U.S. Now, living in 2019 Brooklyn, her mother's "routine check" of their asylum application goes terribly wrong; she's detained by ICE in the middle of the night, leaving now-17-year-old Rania to care for her eight-year-old brother Kamal alone while attempting to graduate high school. But after a neighbor informs child protective services that she and Kamal are without a guardian, the siblings are taken to a shelter for unaccompanied minors. Determined to save her mother and get their lives back, Rania and Kamal, joined by a fellow shelter resident, Latinx-cued Carlos, escape and embark on a road trip to meet an estranged relative. Budhos populates this hopeful tale with a large cast of kind-hearted characters, whose boundless compassion for Rania and Kamal, and sense of helplessness in the face of an unfair and impossible government system, is palpable. Ages 12â€"up. Agent: Gail Hochman, Brandt & Hochman.

From Horn Book

September 1, 2022
When an overnight ICE raid in 2019 Brooklyn leads to her mother's arrest, seventeen-year-old Rania and her eight-year-old brother, Kamal, are left behind. Soon after, they are moved to a shelter, where they meet affable teen Carlos. The trio escapes and takes to the road through New England, initially in search of Rania and Kamal's estranged uncle. Rania and Carlos slowly forge a strong bond, as Carlos shares the story of his perilous journey from Mexico to escape gang threat and Rania relives fragmented memories of fleeing Pakistan after her political journalist father was murdered. At a temporary sanctuary synagogue, they are forced to make difficult choices in their search for a safe haven. The tightly wound plot creates an underlying tension as the young characters' situations constantly unravel. The story reflects the lives of many undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers forced to flee their homes in search of safety, zeroing in on the threat of retribution for dissenting politics. Budhos aptly conveys how the draconian U.S. immigration policies instituted in 2018 cruelly separated children from their families, and incorporates references to iconic art and poetry to reflect on the loss of home, on love, and on family. Sadaf Siddique

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From Kirkus

Starred review from August 1, 2022
An undocumented Pakistani teen has to grow up very quickly after her mother is suddenly detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. High school senior Rania's life changes forever when she abruptly wakes up to the news that ICE agents have arrived to arrest her mother. It's 2019, and she, her mother, and her brother, Kamal, are living in Brooklyn as they wait to see if they will be granted asylum due to the fact that Rania's father--a journalist in Pakistan--has gone missing. Ammi brought them to America on her own, and they've lived as if they might have to take off at any time. Still, gifted writer Rania has done well in school. After Kamal and Rania are taken to a shelter for unaccompanied minors, she's horrified by the conditions around them and decides that escaping to Connecticut and getting a long-estranged uncle to care for them is their only hope. With the vital assistance of Carlos, a fellow teen and shelter resident, the siblings sneak away for the road trip of a lifetime. Budhos vividly portrays the fear and confusion many undocumented families experienced after the implementation of Trump-era asylum and immigration policies while also unflinchingly detailing the tensions and secrets within Rania's family. As Rania learns more about her mother's mysterious past, she realizes that solidarity and community are both essential tools for freedom as vulnerable people seek the right to a safe haven. A triumphant tale about finding home. (author's note, ghazal lyrics) (Fiction. 12-18)

COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From Horn Book

July 1, 2022
When an overnight ICE raid in 2019 Brooklyn leads to her mother's arrest, seventeen-year-old Rania and her eight-year-old brother, Kamal, are left behind. Soon after, they are moved to a shelter, where they meet affable teen Carlos. The trio escapes and takes to the road through New England, initially in search of Rania and Kamal's estranged uncle. Rania and Carlos slowly forge a strong bond, as Carlos shares the story of his perilous journey from Mexico to escape gang threat and Rania relives fragmented memories of fleeing Pakistan after her political journalist father was murdered. At a temporary sanctuary synagogue, they are forced to make difficult choices in their search for a safe haven. The tightly wound plot creates an underlying tension as the young characters' situations constantly unravel. The story reflects the lives of many undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers forced to flee their homes in search of safety, zeroing in on the threat of retribution for dissenting politics. Budhos aptly conveys how the draconian U.S. immigration policies instituted in 2018 cruelly separated children from their families, and incorporates references to iconic art and poetry to reflect on the loss of home, on love, and on family.

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)