Saint Death - Tapa dura

"Eerily timely and prescient, this ambitious story is a necessary purchase for all collections."--School Library Journal, starred review

"Sedgwick's unflinching narrative is timely and guaranteed to incite discussion, if not debate."--Booklist, starred review

"A compelling interior story of resilience, poverty, loyalty, and the value of life."--Horn Book

A propulsive, compelling, and unsparing novel set in the grimly violent world of the human and drug trade on the US-Mexican border.

On the outskirts of Juarez, Arturo scrapes together a living working odd jobs and staying out of sight. But his friend Faustino is in trouble: he’s stolen money from the narcos to smuggle his girlfriend and her baby into the US, and needs Arturo's help to get it back. To help his friend, Arturo must face the remorseless world of drug and human traffickers that surrounds him, and contend with a murky past.

Hovering over his story is the unsparing divinity Santa Muerte, Saint Death—and the relentless economic and social inequalities that haunt the border between Mexico and its rich northern neighbor. Crafted with poetry and cinematic pace and narrated with cold fury, Saint Death is a provocative tour de force from three-time Printz Award honoree Marcus Sedgwick.

This title has Common Core connections.

A New York City Public Library Notable Best Book for Teens
A YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Book