Something About America
By Maria Testa
Published by Candlewick Press
Ages 12 and up
“This isn’t supposed to happen in America.” Inspired by actual events, this story starts ten years after the narrator’s family fled the fires of ethnic hatred in Kosova, Yugoslavia – long enough for the narrator to have transformed herself into a typical American schoolgirl. Her parents continue to feel like foreigners, and she grows impatient with what she perceives as their refusal to assimilate. Then an ugly incident in a nearby town changes everything, forcing each member of this refugee family to consider what being an American truly means.
“Rereading this novel in 2026, I am thunderstruck by its relevance. On the pages and in the real incident it is based on, an anti-immigrant hate group targeted two Maine cities. Those cities’ students and residents joined forces, overwhelmed the extremists in numbers, and reclaimed the narrative by declaring Maine as an immigrant-welcoming community. Students need books to inspire them to transform today’s federal anti-immigrant narrative. They need Something About America.” —Kirsten Cappy, Executive Director, I’m Your Neighbor Books
Awards & Lists
- New York Public Library Best Books for the Teen Age
- International Reading Association Young Adult Choices
- Bank Street College Best Children’s Books of the Year
- Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) Poetry Pick
- Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights Outstanding Book Awards, Honorable Mention
- Boston Authors Club, Julia Ward Howe Award Finalist
- Maine Literary Award
- One School, One Book (Wheaton, IL & South Portland, ME)
- I’m Your Neighbor Books City-Wide Read (Portland, ME)
Reviews
“Testa writes stories told in poems of surpassing beauty, fragility, and depth…. Riveting—and tender.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Maria Testa’s stirring words enhance a sense of the characters’ experiences and emotions, particularly those of a young person caught between cultures.” —Booklist
“Simplicity of language is a powerful counterpoint to the emotional complexity of the immigrants’ story, and classrooms of mixed reading abilities and/or second-language learners may find this an ideal vehicle.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books