Lupita Mañana Review

Lupita Mañana, written by Patricia Beatty, is an exciting, engaging tale about a brother and sister, Salvador and Lupita Torres. After their father dies, they must cross over to the Unites States from Mexico, illegally, for their family that is now in great need of financial aid. On their journey, they face hardships and build a bond that is broken by poor choices. The book was well written with an exciting storyline, although some aspects were too unrealistic for my taste.

The fact that Lupita and Salvador are so courageous throughout the book, for example leaving their home to support their family, kept me engaged and interested. I would have liked to see more realistic plots. Whenever Lupita and Salvador come face to face with la migra, they tend to slip away in a very lucky manner. In one chapter, Salvador and Lupita get caught, and instead of being taken to jail, they just get turned away. I know the real world is much crueler than that! The story would have engaged me much more if it was a tad more realistic.

This novel had many plots that made me want to keep reading and not put it down. Sometimes it was unrealistic, but for the most part I enjoyed reading it. I would recommend this novel to people who enjoy cliffhangers and historical fiction. For people who enjoy the topic of illegal immigration, I can also recommend the film, La Misma Luna.