Efrén Divided

Efrén Divided is a 2020 contemporary middle grade novel by Ernesto Cisneros. When his mother is suddenly deported to Mexico, seventh grader Efrén Nava must take charge of his younger siblings while keeping up with schoolwork and chores; he hopes that in doing so, the money his father earns at a second job will be enough to bring his mother home. Efrén Divided was a 2021 Pura Belpre Award winner and a School Library Journal Best Book selection. This guide refers to the 2020 edition published by HarperCollins Children’s Books.

Plot Summary

As seventh grader Efrén Nava watches his mother prepare breakfast for his twin kindergarten siblings, Max and Mia, he is amazed by her ability to make wonderful sopes so easily. Efrén thinks of Amá as a “Soperwoman” not just for her meal-making ability but in the way she tends to all the family’s needs while working long hours in a factory setting ironing garments. Tired from waiting up late for Amá to return home from work, Efrén reflects on recent talk and rumors in the neighborhood regarding the arrest and deportment of undocumented workers. Because both of his parents left Mexico for America without authorization, they are in danger of being discovered by la migra (immigration officials) and deported.