Star in the Forest by Laura Resau (author) (US edition)

Beautiful and moving: have a hankie ready. Zitally’s father is kidnapped at the Mexican border. Can his spirit animal lead him home? Zitlally’s family are undocumented migrants living in the US. Now her father has been arrested and deported back to Mexico. In desperation, her family pay a ‘coyote’ – a human trafficker – to guide him back across the border. But now he has been kidnapped. Will Zitally ever see him again? Then Zitlally and her friend find a dog in the forest behind their trailer park. They name it Star, and as the dark days continue, Zitlally realises that Star is her father’s spirit animal. As long as Star is safe, her father will be too. But what will happen to Zitlally’s dad when Star disappears?

“A vibrant, large-hearted story.” Publishers Weekly