Taming The Beast

“The Beast’s roar was everywhere and everything. Dani almost couldn’t think, it was so loud,” writes Alan Gratz in Flight: A Story of Seeking Refuge. “She and Carlos ran right next to the train’s huge wheels. If she or her brother fell beneath The Beast’s metal teeth, Dani knew it would chew them up and swallow them.”

An award-winning author of middle-grade historical fiction, Gratz explains in his author’s note that the story of Dani and Carlos was originally meant to be included in his 2022 novel, Two Degrees, which illustrated the dramatic effects of climate change in the lives of children living in various parts of North America. The piece was cut for space and has now been released as a short stand-alone book depicting some of the obstacles that face refugees from South and Central America.  

Flight is the story of 13-year-old Daniella Lopez and her 9-year-old brother, Carlos, who travel north from their home in Honduras with their parents, in search of a better life. After rising temperatures devastate their little coffee farm in the mountains, the family heads for the closest city to find work. What at first seems like sanctuary quickly becomes dangerous when Dani’s mother witnesses a gang shooting. Warned that they will be targeted by the gang if they stay, the Lopez family joins a walking caravan through Guatemala and Mexico. In Mexico City, their luck turns even worse when they are kidnapped by criminals betting that rich relatives will pay for their release. After a desperate escape, Dani and Carlos are separated from their parents but are too afraid to stop running.

Now it’s up to Dani to bring Carlos safely to the border town of Ciudad Juárez, where they hope to meet up with their parents and emigrate to El Norte — the United States. The children make it onto The Beast, but the terror of falling from the top of a moving freight train is only one of the problems they face. They must also evade spies and robbers, police raids, and immigration checkpoints, all while suffering extreme heat and cold. It’s a lot of responsibility for a young teen to bear: “I didn’t want all this,” Dani tells another rider, gesturing around herself. “Nobody asked me if I wanted to leave home. Go to El Norte. Babysit my little brother for a thousand miles with no parents, no map, no money. And no idea what we’re going to do even if we get to the border. I had my school and my friends and the farm. I wanted to go to university, maybe. Learn even better ways to grow coffee. I had so many plans.”

Here, as in his award-winning book Refugee and many others, Gratz excels in describing the plights of children removed from their communities and forced to make their way alone through a treacherous world. Gratz’s stories are harrowing yet hopeful and always promote empathy and kindness. Even while enjoying the action and suspense, young readers may find themselves wondering what their journey would be like in a similar situation. This talented author continues to strive to make the world a better place, one middle-grade novel at a time.