The paths of a streetwise orphan and a mentally ill soldier cross three times in a Mexican border town, forever changing the lives of both of them. Paulsen uses borders literally and metaphorically in many different ways, from the border running between Mexico and the U.S.A. which Manny dreams of crossing, to the sharp borders of clear definition which the sergeant purposely blurs with alcohol. Each of the characters is ultimately trapped behind the borders of his own ego; only when they both choose a split-second of compassion for each other is the key crossing completed. (Age 14 and older)

From the Newbery Award–winning, New York Times–bestselling author of Northwind. “A stark, moving portrait of Mexican poverty and street life.” —School Library Journal

Fourteen-year-old Manny is an orphan in Juarez, Mexico. He competes with his bigger, meaner rivals for the coins American tourists throw off the bridge between Texas and his town. Across that heavily guarded bridge await a different world and a better existence.

On the night when Manny dares the crossing—through the muddy shallows of the Rio Grande, past the searchlights and the border patrol—the young man encounters an old stranger who could prove to be an ally or an enemy. Manny can’t tell for certain. But if he is to achieve his dream, then he must be willing to risk everything—even his life.

“Paulsen . . . is skilled at pace, incident and characterization, and he uses them to pull the reader to the memorable—and powerful—last scene . . . A book for older children and teenagers who will not want to put it down.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Any work by such a proficient writer, who invokes a powerful sense of the tragic in readers young and old, is welcome indeed.” —Publishers Weekly