In recent years there has been a rise in books being published about and by undocumented immigrants. These books span a variety of genres and include fiction, non fiction, and memoirs, and share a variety of individual and author experiences. Not all undocumented immigrants come from the Americas. The United States is not isolated in the increase of people struggling to cross borders for a better life or to escape war and violence.
The books on this list provide an opportunity to connect and learn from a variety of voices and lived experiences. In Amnesty for instance, a Sri Lankan man living in Australia, worries his status will be discovered. In The Last Story of Mina Lee, a woman born in California discovers her Korean immigrant mother’s secrets. And in Dear America, a Filipino teen finds himself becoming an advocate for others like him who must remain hidden in plain sight.
Many of the titles here also describe journeys as harrowing as Zamora’s in Solito.My Fourth Time, We Drowned is an account of young people daring to cross the Mediterranean Sea in a flimsy craft, while endless wandering by foot around Africa is the fate of a young girl and her sister in The Girl Who Smiled Beads.
Other chronicles explore becoming a US citizen (Conditional Citizens), being from a family separated by borders (Infinite Country), life in refugee camps (The Bee Keeper of Aleppo), what it is like to be deported (The Leavers and The New American), and to serve as a US Border Patrol agent (The Line Becomes a River).
Whether you are drawn to fiction or nonfiction, we hope you’ll find something here that speaks powerfully to you about the diversity of issues that immigrants experience.
Picture Books for Youth, ages 5-8
- Finding Papa, Angela Pham Krans
- To the Other Side, Erika Meza
- The Notebook Keeper: A Story of Kindness from the Border, Stephen Briseño & Magdalena Mora
- Where are You From?, Yamile Saied Méndez
- Watch Me, A Story of Immigration and Inspiration, Doyin Richards
- Home is In Between, Lavanya Naidu
- Something Happened to My Dad: A Story About Immigration and Family Separation, Ann Hazzard
- Two White Rabbits, Jairo Buitrago
- Still Dreaming Seguimos, Soñando, Claudia Guadalupe Martinez
- Facing Fear: An Immigration Story, Karen Lynn Williams
- Areli is a Dreamer, Areli Morales
- What is a Refugee?, Elise Gravel
- Until Someone Listens: A Story About Borders, Family, and One Girl's Mission, Estela Juarez
- Seeking Shanti: A Family's Story of Climate Migration, Jesse Byrd
- Carmela Full of Wishes, Matt de la Peña
Chapter Book Fiction and Graphic Novels for Youth, ages 9-12
- Shine on Luz Véliz!, Rebecca Balcárcel
- Land of the Cranes, Aida Salazar
- Santiago’s Road Home, Alexandra Diaz
- Flying Over Water, Shannon Hitchcock and N.H. Senzai
- When Stars Are Scattered, Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed
- Orange for the Sunsets, Tina Athaide
- Strike Zone, Mike Lupica
- Other Words for Home, Jasmine Warga
- Refugee, Alan Gratz
- Beast Ride: A Boy’s Journey Beyond the Border, Tony Johnston
Books for Youth in Spanish, ages 5-12/Libros en español para jovenes de 5 a 12 anos
- Mis dos pueblos fronterizos, David Bowles
- La guardiana de la libreta : una historia de bondad desde la frontera, Stephen Briseño
- Con Mucho Amor, Jenny Torres Sanchez
- Hasta que alguien me escuche : una historia sobre las fronteras, la familia y la misión de una niña, Estela Juarez
- Algo le pasó a mi papá : una historia sobre inmigración y separación familiar, Ann Hazzard
- Una vez fui tú, Maria Hinojosa
- Cuando brillan las estrellas : una historia inolvidable, Victoria Jamieson
- Los Deseos de Carmela, Matt de la Peña
- El Unico Destino, Alexandra Diaz
Fiction, Nonfiction, Graphic Novels for Young Adults
- Finding Refuge: Real Life Immigration Stories from Young People, Victorya Rouse
- The Far Away Brothers: Two Teenage Immigrants Making a Life in America, Lauren Markham
- Outcasts United: The Story of a Refugee Soccer Team That Changed a Town, Warren St. John
- We Are Not from Here, Jenny Torres Sanchez
- Walls and Welcome Mats: Immigration and the American Dream, Lars Ortiz
- Come On In: 15 Stories About Immigration and Finding Home, Adi Alsaid
- Manuelito: A Graphic Novel, Elisa Amado
- Illegal: Francisco X. Stork
- The Sun is Also a Star, Nicola Yoon
- The Grief Keeper, Alexandra Villasante
- Hakim’s Odyssey: Book 1, From Syria to Turkey, Fabien Toulmé
- Americanized: Rebel Without a Green Card, Sara Saedi
Adult Fiction
- Amnesty, Aravind Adiga (Sri Lanka)
- Afterlife, Julia Alvarez (Mexico)
- Infinite Country, Patricia Engel (Columbia)
- The Book of Unknown Americans, Cristina Henriquez (Panama/Mexico)
- The Last Story of Mina Lee, Nancy Jooyoun Kim (Korea)
- The Leavers, Lisa Ko (China)
- The Beekeeper of Aleppo, Christy Lefteri (Syria -refugee)
- The New American, Micheline Marcom (Guatemala)
- Behold the Dreamers, Imbolo Mboe (Cameroon)
- The Son of Good Fortune, Lysley A. Tenorio (The Philippines)
- The Barbarian Nurseries, Hector Tobar (Mexico)
- Into the Beautiful North, Luis Alberto Urrea (Mexico)
Adult Nonfiction
- The Naked Don’t Fear the Water: An Underground Journey with Afghan Refugees - Matthieu Aikins
- The Line Becomes a River - Francisco Cantu
- Children of the Land - Marcello Hernandez Castillo
- My Fourth Time, We Drowned: Seeking Refuge on the World’s Deadliest Migration Route - Sally Hayden
- Conditional Citizens: On Belonging in America, Laila Lalami
- The Faraway Brothers: Two Young Brothers and the Making of an American Life - Lauren Markham
- Solito, Solita: Crossing Borders with Young Refugees from Central America - ed. Steven Mayers and Jonathan Freedman
- Separated: Inside an American Tragedy - Jacob Soboroff
- Dear America: Notes from an Undocumented Citizen - Jose Antonio Vargas
- The Undocumented Americans, Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
- The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What comes After - Clemantine Wamariya
- Beautiful Country - Qian Julie Wang
