Nine YA Novels For Immigrant Heritage Week

In celebration of Immigrant Heritage Week (April 16-22), here are nine YA novels about characters who experience the differences between their old and new countries. Some need to escape their old lives, some have problems adjusting to a new country, and some discover their own version of the American Dream.

Nine YA Novels for Immigrant Heritage Week

American Street by Ibi Zoboi

Fabiola Toussaint and her mother were supposed to start their lives over in America. But after they arrived from Haiti, her mother was detained, and Fabiola had to continue the journey to Detroit by herself.
Soon, Fabiola is living at the intersection of American Street and Joy Road, where the weather is cold, the people are colder, and she's only allowed to speak English.

Ashes of Roses by M.J. Auch

Rose Nolan is 16 years old when she arrives with her family on Ellis Island in 1911. But when her father and brother are sent back to Ireland, the women in the family must find a way to support themselves.
When Rose gets a job at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, she has no idea that she is going to witness one of the biggest disasters in New York’s history.

Behind the Mountains by Edwidge Danticat

When Celiane’s teacher gives her a blank notebook, Celiane uses it to record the thoughts she can’t share with anyone else. She writes about her life in the Haitian village of Beau Jour, about how her simple life becomes complicated after Haiti gets too dangerous, and about how moving to Brooklyn is a shocking transition for the whole family.

The Fire Horse Girlby Kay Honeyman

Jade Moon wonders if it’s true that, in America, she will be able to walk away from her old life in China and start a better one instead. She was born in the year of the Fire Horse, which means that she is too bold, too loud, too strong, and too unlucky.
When Jade and her father are detained at the Angel Island Immigration Station, she will have to rely on her unlucky astrological sign to find the strength to get to America and to survive.

Flowers in the Sky by Lynn Joseph

Nina never wanted to leave the Dominican Republic. But when her mother sends her to Nueva York to have a better life, Nina has a tough time transitioning from her island paradise to the concrete world of Washington Heights.

The Go-Between by Veronica Chambers

Cammi was used to being one of the rich kids of Mexico City. Her mother was a telenovela star, and her father was famous for his voiceover talent. Because of her parents, Cammi was famous (or at least Instagram-famous), and she lived a life of privilege.
But when her mother gets a role in an American sitcom, the family moves to LA, and their lives suddenly became a lot less glamorous.

The Good Braider: a Novel by Terry Farish

This powerful novel in verse tells the story of a girl named Viola, over four long years of her life. Her journey takes her from the horrors of war in the Sudan, to years of living as a refugee in Egypt, and finally to the United States.
In Portland, Maine, there are no landmines, and although Viola no longer hears the sound of soldiers’ footsteps, her old memories and fears are still locked inside her mind.

The Tyrant's Daughter by J.C. Carleson

Laila never wanted to come to the United States. But after her father was killed, she and her family were exiled to a suburb outside of Washington, D.C. They no longer have the money, the respect, or the bodyguards they had when they were part of the royal family.
Now, Laila is trying to adjust to this strange American lifestyle, and is learning about how the rest of the world really saw her father.

You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins

Sonia and Tara are growing up in a traditional Indian family. But when they move to New York City, it’s hard to balance the traditional things their parents want with their new American lifestyle. This story spans several generations, as the girls grow up, grow apart from their family, and then start families of their own.