The Freedom Seeker

The Freedom Seeker by Ruchira Gupta (Scholastic Press, 2025) The story of Simi begins in the northwest Punjab region of India and ends in the Bronx neighborhood of New York. Her story takes the reader through the emotions of an international immigrant. Simi’s experience of migrating to the US via Mexico sheds light on the challenge immigrants face, and highlights the fact that many immigrants do not actually want to leave their homes. Often, external dangers force them to leave their home countries. Many immigrants enter the US through Mexico, but there are few stories about those migrants who are not from Mexico or Latin American. Simi and her family face discrimination and challenges that are prevalent in news headlines today. Young readers will fall in love with Simi. The Freedom Seeker takes us through a strongly charged political issue through the eyes of a young girl who is trying to understand all that is happening around her.