27 Books to Help Kids Understand the Immigrant Experience

Parents need to know that Return to Sender explores illegal immigration in a sympathetic way (immigration laws are not fully described and enforcers are presented negatively), as readers come to know the hearts and minds of both the Vermont family and the Mexican family in the story. The issues and moral dilemmas facing the two main characters, Tyler and Mari, are serious and heavy -- they both worry constantly about breaking the law and getting caught, and are wrought with fear and anxiety. It's mentioned that Mari's mother went missing and was sold into slavery, but Mari eventually rescued her.