Something in Between

Something in Between
by Melissa de la Cruz

From the publisher:
"It feels like there’s no ground beneath me, like everything I’ve ever done has been a lie. Like I’m breaking apart, shattering. Who am I? Where do I belong?

Jasmine de los Santos has always done what’s expected of her. Pretty and popular, she’s studied hard, made her Filipino immigrant parents proud and is ready to reap the rewards in the form of a full college scholarship.

And then everything shatters. A national scholar award invitation compels her parents to reveal the truth: their visas expired years ago. Her entire family is illegal. That means no scholarships, maybe no college at all and the very real threat of deportation.

For the first time, Jasmine rebels, trying all those teen things she never had time for in the past. Even as she’s trying to make sense of her new world, it’s turned upside down by Royce Blakely, the charming son of a high-ranking congressman. Jasmine no longer has any idea where—or if—she fits into the American Dream. All she knows is that she’s not giving up. Because when the rules you lived by no longer apply, the only thing to do is make up your own."

I pretty much dislike all politicians and I don't pretend to know what the answer is for illegal immigrants in this country, but I do feel like this book is important to our country's situation right now. This book wasn't life-changing, and everything was solved too easily with some slightly flat writing, but I still think it is important to read it. It will make you think and will put a face on a serious problem. That being said, I didn't love it. Several plot lines felt very contrived, and I'm still trying to figure out how undocumented immigrants working as a bus driver and a hospital janitor could afford to buy a house in California. And the main character just happens to befriend a rich old lady, and the son of a congressman just happens to see her and fall in love with her. Also, the main character knows that she can be deported if she has any police involvement, but she keeps making stupid decisions that put her in situations where she could get arrested. However, it was interesting to get a glimpse into the Filipino culture, and I loved the strong, loving family unit that was portrayed. 

Areas of concern:
*A handful of cuss words - no "f" word, although there is a part where one of the characters is trying to text it over and over, but it keeps auto-correcting to "duck". (Okay, that was actually pretty amusing.)
*Quite a bit of teenage drinking and partying.
*Talk of secondary characters "hooking up".
*Making out by the main character and her boyfriend, but they don't feel ready to go any farther.
*Bullying of some young boys because of their illegal status.

Suggested Ages:

Publisher's Weekly - Ages 14+

School Library Journal - Grades 6-10
(*Those are really differing age groups.  I think I would go with grade 8 and up.)