Monarchs in the Wild

Description:

After witnessing the tragic death of a classmate, seventeen-year-old Cal desperately searches for a way out of his blink-and-you'll-miss-it rural town of La Sombra, California--before he, too, becomes a nobody-migrant statistic.

Brief description:

Israel Moya roots for underdogs and loves to write about them. As a child, his mother's mystical tales about life in Mexico shaped his imagination, and his own stories capture that spirit. His professional journey has been a whirlwind adventure in classrooms as a teacher, in the Amazon jungle championing environmental justice, and in refugee camps protecting the rights of children. He was the first in his family to graduate college and has degrees from Bakersfield College, UCLA, and the University of Michigan Law School. He was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan. Monarchs in the Wild is his first novel. He can be found at israelmoya.com.

Review Quotes:

"An intensely raw and introspective book with a character readers will root for." -- Booklist

"In Israel Moya's engaging coming-of-age novel Monarchs in the Wild, an aimless teenage boy living in a place with few options considers life after high school." -- Foreword Reviews

"Moya's portrayal focuses on widespread racism toward Mexican immigrants, poor conditions for farmworkers, and a pervasive sense of hopelessness. . . . Conveys a strong sense of place." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Questions of family, religious faith, and belonging drive a complex and moving coming-of-age that's distinguished by vividly drawn characters and kinetic prose." -- Publishers Weekly

"An immersive story of feeling stuck in a migrant community and a young man's resilient hope that things can change." -- School Library Journal