Beast Rider by Tony Johnson and Maria Elena Fontanot De Rhoads

His brother has gone to the states to get a good job and send money home.  Manuel misses him.  His home life is simple and he's happy there but he wants to join his brother.  He doesn't know how long and dangerous the journey is...

Amulet Books sent me a copy of this book to read for review (thank you).  It is being published March 19th.

He works and prepares to go.  He's going to hitch a ride on the train which everyone calls the Beast.  The train kills many of them, they have to jump on when it's traveling or they'll be picked up by the guards.  He doesn't want to miss but it's his only way out and he jumps.  He just barely makes it.

This is not a pleasant story.  It's realistic.  They steal his goods on the train.  He gets beat up by a gang who almost leaves him for dead.  He finds more kind people than I would have thought were in the world.  But it's a long ways to the states...

He eventually gets to his brother who is in Los Angeles.  What he finds is that it is hard to get work without papers.  LA is big, noisy and never quiet.  His dreams led him here but he's not sure this is the place for him.  As he visits with an old Japanese man, his dreams start to change...

This story shows you how hard it is to sneak in another country, how dangerous it can be, and how life doesn't run smoothly just because you got here.  It's a taste of the real thing.