It is Cuba in 1980 and eleven-year-old Hector knows that the only way to survive is to pretend to be a staunch supporter of the Communist leader, Fidel Castro. Six years ago, his father was exiled to the United States for speaking out against Castro, demanding that the Cuban people be given basic freedoms. Since then, Hector, his mother, and older brother Rodrigo have been seen by some of their neighbors and family as traitors. When the Cuban government announces that it will temporarily open the port of Mariel to all who want to leave the country, Hector’s mother decides that she and the boys must seize this opportunity to leave Cuba and join her husband in Miami. Hector isn’t so sure that he wants to do this, however. He is gifted in math and has been training to represent his country in the International Math Olympiad, a lifelong dream that he longs to achieve. Emigrating will also mean he will be separated from his beloved abuela, a grandmother whose high standing in the Cuban government has helped confer certain privileges on Hector’s family. Realizing that securing a place on a boat leaving Cuba is not a certainty, Hector’s life is at a crossroads. When the family’s plans become known to neighbors and Abeula, however, the resulting backlash may make the chance to rejoin Hector’s father only a dream after all. A captivating historical fiction tale that highlights a time and world situation that young readers should be familiar with.