Community Partner Review Copy: Luca's Bridge

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About this title: An updated edition of the book originally published in 2019 by Penny Candy Books.

ALSC Notable Children's Book 2020 | Tejas Star Reading List, 2020-21

Luca has never lived outside the U.S., but when his parents receive a letter in the mail, the family must pack up and leave home for a strange land.

Together in their car, Luca, his brother Paco, and their parents head across the border to Mexico where his parents were born. Luca doesn’t understand why he must leave the only home he’s ever known, his friends, and his school. He struggles through lonely and disorienting times—reflected both in Real’s delicate, symbolic illustrations and through Llanos’ description of his dreams—and leans on music, memory, and familial love for support. Luca’s Bridge / El puente de Luca is a story for everyone about immigration, deportation, home, and identity.

Themes: Bilingual, Immigration & Emigration, Deportation, Separation, Mexico, Multigenerational families

Genre: Picture Book

Pub Date: Spring 2027