Jorge is trying to learn the ways of his new country. He wants to fit in at school, but he doesn't want to forget his homeland, Mexico. His family is still doing things like they're in the old country, but Jorge wants to find out everything he can about his new country—on the other side of the river. Learning a new language, getting a library card, taking tests, and making friends are challenges for Jorge. Just when Jorge has found a friend in Tim, his life changes once again. Told from the point of view of Jorge, Jane Medina's moving poems vividly depict one boy's struggle to make a new life in a new country.