In Cuba, Héctor's father was imprisoned for being a dissident and exiled to the U.S. Mamá has plans for her, Héctor and Rodrigo to flee Cuba once their visas are approved and reunite with their father in Miami. Héctor doesn't want to leave his friends and the only country he's known; he also doesn't want to miss his chance to participate in the Math Olympiad. But when an acto de repudio turns tragic, Héctor understands better why they need to leave Cuba. He also realizes that his abuela, a Communist party loyalist, doesn't have the family's interests at heart. The narrative simmers with tension throughout the waiting for visa approval and at the processing stations, then comes to full roil during the risky sea crossing. Given all that, the happy ending seems too perfect. Still, this is an informative and gripping story about a later era of Cuban exiles, those of the 1980s. The many Spanish phrases throughout are translated in a glossary in the backmatter. ( )

Atmospheric and tense, the story held my attention from start to finish.

The Bluest Sky by Christina Diaz Gonzalez is a new middle-grade book that older readers would also enjoy and find enlightening. It combines historical events with fictional ones that could easily be the backstories of many Cuban refugees that literally landed on these shores. There are moments of complete heartbreak but also hope for new lives and freedom.

Although Hector is content for much of the first part of the book, it becomes clear he is so because he’s never known life to be anything different. The author envelops the characters and reader in an atmosphere of oppression, fear, poverty, and lack of the freedoms we know as fundamental to our lives in the U.S. But as the reality of life is revealed to Hector, he quickly loses that contentment. Just the effects the American embargo had on the Cuban people’s ability to maintain their homes (they couldn’t get the materials to do so) was eye-opening. The author has put names and faces, albeit fictional, to those suffering, personalizing it and making it real.

Besides the oppressive setting, the plot quickly becomes tense and dangerous. I held my breath numerous times during the family’s harrowing process of leaving the country and teared up with both sadness and relief at others. It may take me a while to get over this story.

The juvenile main characters are engaging, strong, and brave: boys and girls with whom young readers will readily feel a connection. The plot includes features of their everyday living, home life, food, and growing up. The dialogue is liberally sprinkled with Spanish words and phrases whose meaning must be construed from context or looked up. Although it slowed the reading process down somewhat, I enjoyed looking up those that I didn’t recognize or couldn’t translate on my own.

With its taut storyline and engaging characters, THE BLUEST SKY would be a great book to share and discuss. I recommend it for middle-grade or older readers, which was well worth the reading.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author or publisher through NetGalley and TBR and Beyond Book Tours. ( )