Refugee (Alan Gratz)

What happens to the boat Isabel and the others are riding in? pg. 81-109

pg. 81-109

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A storm sweeps them to the Bahamas, where they are not allowed to disembark; Iván is attacked by sharks and eventually bleeds to death in the boat; and toward the end of the journey, Isabel’s pregnant mother goes into labor. Lito tells the story of the St. Louis and how he had to turn away so many refugees when he was a young policeman. (He is Officer Padron from Josef’s story.) Just when Miami becomes visible on the horizon, a U.S. Coast Guard boat tries to intercept the two families. Lito jumps in the water to distract the Coast Guard, and Isabel’s mother gives birth to a boy, just as they reach the shore. When Isabel is asked to play a song at her new school in America, she plays a Cuban salsa version of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”