Secret Side of Empty, The

M.T. may be a stellar student and member of the National Honour Society but she must hide the fact that she and her parents are undocumented immigrants. As she enters senior year at school, her classmates share their future plans, but M.T. cannot take part, because the weight of hiding her illegal status and the abuse she suffers from her father make it difficult for M.T. even to see a future for herself. This engaging novel addresses important issues, including immigration, racism, domestic violence, physical abuse, and suicide, and would be suitable as a class, literature circle, or independent novel for grades 9-12.