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Cover of The Crossing by Gary Paulsen

Book · Middle Grade

The Crossing

by Gary Paulsen

Ages 10–14 · Grades 5–9 · 114 pages · 2006

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About the book

A critically acclaimed tearjerker from a master storyteller: On one side of the border is brutality and heartache; on the other side--a new life.

14yo Manny is an orphan in Juarez, Mexico. He competes with his bigger, meaner rivals for the coins American tourists throw off the bridge between Texas and his town. Across that heavily guarded bridge await a different world and a better existence.On the night when Manny dares the crossing--through the muddy shallows of the Rio Grande, past the searchlights and the border patrol--the young man encounters an old stranger who could prove to be an ally or an enemy. Manny can't tell for certain. But if he is to achieve his dream, then he must be willing to risk everything--even his life.

For parents

Ages 10–14 · Grades 5–9

Grade ranges are editorial guidance. Every reader is different.

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