Travesía: A Migrant Girl’s Cross-Border Journey = Travesía: El Viaje de Una Joven Migrante

Travesía is the true story of Gricelda, a 15-year-old migrant who is illegally crossing the border from Mexico to America. She is travelling with her mother and younger brother to create a new life together in Northern California. This bilingual YA graphic biography does not shy away from the challenges migrant families face in their journey across borders, and it pairs bold, colourful graphics with English and Spanish storytelling.

Gricelda’s story starts in Mexico and presents a story of love, comfort, and tradition. This quickly changes as her father and older brother leave for America, with her, her mother, and her younger brother preparing for a similar journey shortly after. The illustrations in Travesía, created by Fiona Dunnett, focus heavily on emotions; the character’s faces reveal the heartache, loneliness, and fear felt by Gricelda’s family and other migrants they meet along the way. Gricelda’s narrative story ends in Northern California, but it is followed by an epilogue and reflection. Author Michelle Gerster outlines her connection to the real-life Gricelda and her own passion and connection to elevating undocumented migrants’ stories in her reflection that is presented in both English and Spanish.

Travesía would work well in a high school classroom where bilingual graphic novels are few and far between. Travesía can be read as a standalone text or as a supporting text for better understanding undocumented migrants and immigration stories. As previously mentioned, the content is quite heavy, but it is necessary to highlight the treacherous nature and uncertainty that is inherent to Gricelda’s migrant story. The book, itself, is a quick read, coming in at just over 60 pages, but it contains a powerful and necessary story for young adults to read.