We Were Here

We Were Here is a Newbury-Award-winning, young adult novel written by Matt De La Pena. Published in 2011, the first person narrative is written in diary form in the voice of the teenaged protagonist, Miguel Castaneda. The story begins with Miguel’s description of his admission to juvenile hall, a detention facility near his family home in Stockton, California. His father, a member of the US Army, was killed in action the preceding year. While the details of the offense that precipitated Miguel’s sentence to one year in a group home are left unclear until the end of the book, the reader infers that there is a significant rift between Miguel and his mother, whom he loves deeply. Conversely, he feels that there is such tension in his home at this point that relocation to the group home may be his best option. His greatest affection appears to be reserved for his older brother, Diego; however, the relationship between the siblings involves fistfights, and their mother is clearly frightened by them.

Miguel’s sentence is contingent upon his keeping a daily journal, which the judge feels may help his counselors to understand him better.