Review of Catalina by Karla Cornejo

Ecuadorian student Catalina is ready for whatever life has to throw at her. She’s determined to make her mark at Harvard University, desperate for a career in journalism to make her grandparents proud who sacrificed everything to come to the United States, undocumented, in search for a better life.  Conflicted with leaving her grandparents in New York for a life of parties and vibrancy but needing to be free, Catalina takes every opportunity which comes her way to grow and become independent. 

During political turmoil, migration is a hot topic, and Catalina is anxious of her status as an undocumented immigrant. She waits with bated breath for the law to be overruled so she can work in this country she’s made a home. But when she returns to New York to visit her grandparents, she discovers a shocking truth which will put their family at risk. She realises that she can’t protect her grandparents forever, that forces outside of her control could come and take them away. Catalina is a striking and poignant debut on political unrest and striving for a better future. 

Reviewed by Victoria

Published on 25/08/25 by Hutchinson, Heinemann

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