THE NOTEBOOK KEEPER

Waiting to cross the border is no easy task.

A young girl named Noemi and her mother leave Mexico in search of a safer place to live. Arriving at the border, they must wait. They give their names and country of origin to the kind Notebook Keeper, Belinda, a volunteer tasked with keeping track of asylum seekers waiting to plead their cases. Each day, Belinda calls out the names of those who can move forward in the process. The author’s note explains that this is based on a real-life process at the San Ysidro Border Crossing in Tijuana. Noemi and Mamá wait for days, then weeks. Belinda encourages them to stay hopeful and explains that she was picked to become the Notebook Keeper—and how she will select her own replacement when her number is finally called. Taking a cue from Belinda, Noemi decides to stay positive and be kind to those around her. She and her mother are eventually chosen to be the new Notebook Keepers when Belinda’s number comes up. Noemi and Mamá are Mexican and brown-skinned; other asylum seekers at the border represent a variety of ethnicities and brown skin tones. The story is uncomplicated and earnest while explaining a deeply nuanced aspect of attempting to enter the United States as a refugee. Dreamy colored pencil, pastel, gouache, and Photoshop collage illustrations put a human face on the real struggle facing so many refugees today. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A hopeful story that encourages compassion.