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Illegal: A Disappeared Novel: Volume 2

by Francisco X Stork

Subject
Social Themes - Emigration & Immigration
Age
Teen
Format
Hardcover
Pages
304
Publisher
Scholastic Press
Size
14.7 cm × 21.1 cm
ISBN
9781338310559
What does it mean to be illegal in the United States?Life in Mexico is a death sentence for Emiliano and his sister Sara.To escape the violent cartel that is after them, they flee across the border, seeking a better life in the United States and hoping that they can find a way to bring their pursuers to justice.Sara turns herself over to the authorities to apply for asylum.Emiliano enters the country illegally, planning to live with their father.But now Sara is being held indefinitely in a detention facility, awaiting an asylum hearing that may never come, finding it harder every day to hold on to her faith and hope. Life for Emiliano is not easy either. Everywhere he goes, it's clear that he doesn't belong. And all the while, the cartel is closing in on them...Emiliano sets off on a tense and dangerous race to find justice, but can he expose the web of crimes from his place in the shadows?Award-winning author Francisco X. Stork's powerful follow-up to Disappeared delves with his usual sensitivity into the injustice that hides under the guise of the law in the United States. This is a timely and moving story that takes an unsparing look at the asylum process and the journey to find a new life in the US.

About the author

Francisco X. StorkAuthor

Francisco X. Stork (he/him) emigrated from Mexico at the age of nine with his mother and his adoptive father. I Am Not Alone is his tenth novel. Other novels include: Marcelo in the Real World, recipient of the Schneider Family Book Award, The Last Summer of the Death Warriors, which received the Elizabeth Walden Award, The Memory of Light, recipient of the Tomás Rivera Award, Disappeared, which received the Young Adult Award from the Texas Institute of Letters and was a Walter Dean Myers Award Honor Book and Illegal, recipient of the In the Margins Award, the Young Adult Award from the Texas Institute of Letters and the International Latino Book Award. On the Hook published in 2021, received four starred reviews and was the recipient of the International Latino Book Award.

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What reviewers said

"An eye-opening look at U.S. immigration wrapped inside a tense thriller."
Alan Gratz, New York Times bestselling author of Refugee
"Illegal is a compelling read infused with Francisco Stork's signature heart and thought-provoking ideas. With honesty and authenticity, it grapples with questions that we all ask ourselves about the moral inequities of immigration. Heartbreaking, yet hopeful."
Pam Muñoz Ryan, New York Times bestselling author of Echo and Esperanza Rising
"Illegal is timely and evocative. Once again, Francisco X. Stork challenges and expands our perceptions of empathy, justice, and what it means to be human."
Sharon Cameron, New York Times bestselling author of The Light in Hidden Places
"A thrilling page-turner and as a powerful analysis of injustice happening within America's borders."
Booklist, starred review
"A brilliant, penetrating follow-up."
Kirkus Reviews
"A timely and touching novel that will surely engross fans of true crime stories. This title would be a welcome addition to young adult collections."
School Library Journal, starred review
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© 2026 Peekabooks Inc. All Rights Reserved.