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Waltham High School Summer Reading 2024
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Jennifer De Leon is the award-winning author of the YA novels, Borderless, featured on the TODAY show, and Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From, as well as White Space: Essays on Culture, Race, & Writing. She is a speaker, presenter, and educator who loves to connect with readers of all ages.
About Borderless
Caught in the crosshairs of gang violence, a teen girl and her mother set off on a perilous journey from Guatemala City to the US border in this “engrossing” ( Kirkus Reviews ) young adult novel from local MA author.
For seventeen-year-old Maya, fashion is her passion, and her talent for making clothing out of unusual objects landed her a scholarship to Guatemala City’s most prestigious design school and a finalist spot in the school’s fashion show. Mamá is her biggest supporter, taking on extra jobs to rpay for what the scholarship doesn’t cover, and she might be even more excited than Maya about what the fashion show could do for her future career.
So when Mamá doesn’t come to the show, Maya doesn’t know what to think. But the truth is worse than she could have imagined. The gang threats in their neighborhood have walked in their front door—with a boy Maya considered a friend, or maybe even more, among them. After barely making their escape, Maya and her mom have no choice but to continue their desperate flight all the way through Guatemala and Mexico in hopes of crossing the US border.
They have to cross. They must cross! Can they?
Guatemela City, Guatemala
Mexican-American Border
Borderless has two distinct settings: Guatemala City, Guatemala and the Mexican-American Border.
Borderless
ESL Summer Work
ESL 1
ESL 3-5
ESL 2a
ESL 2B
Ruta Sepetys, a renowned author of historical fiction, has gained global recognition for her works translated into numerous languages and enjoyed by both young readers and adults. With a focus on shedding light on forgotten historical events, Sepetys has garnered critical acclaim, winning prestigious awards and attracting interest from the film industry. Raised in a family that nurtured her artistic talents, she is dedicated to using storytelling to connect people worldwide through the exploration of history. Hailing from a Lithuanian descent, Sepetys' passion for education and memory preservation has been acknowledged by various institutions, cementing her legacy as a prominent figure in literature and historical advocacy.
About Salt to the Sea
While the Titanic and Lusitania are both well-documented disasters, the single greatest tragedy in maritime history is the little-known sinking of the Wilhelm Gustol by a Soviet submarine in the Baltic Sea during WW2. The German cruise liner that was supposed to carry war refugees to safety. The ship was overcrowded with more than 10,500 passengers — the intended capacity was approximately 1,800 — and more than 9,000 people, including 5,000 children, lost their lives.
In this story Ruta Sepetys crafts four fictionalized but historically accurate voices to convey the real-life tragedy. Joana, a Lithuanian with nursing experience; Florian, a Prussian soldier fleeing the Nazis with stolen treasure; and Emilia, a Polish girl close to the end of her pregnancy, meet during their escape journeys as Russian troops advance; each will eventually meet Albert, a young Nazi soldier with delusions of grandeur, assigned to the Gustloff decks.
Official Book Trailer
Listen to Ruta Sepetys Discuss Her Novel
East Prussia - 1945
Salt to the Sea takes place in East Prussia in 1945. The book follows four central characters as they evacuate their home countries.
Learn More About the Wilhelm Gustloff
Loved Salt to the Sea?
Try another one of Ruta Sepetys’s novels!
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Join us this summer in exploring this year’s new beginnings with
Borderless and Salt to the Sea!