Review: Danilo Was Here

By Tamika Burgess

New York: Harper, 2025. Fiction. 298 pages.

It's 1989 and Danilo Osorio wants to follow his dreams, he just isn't sure what they are. Danilo is from Panama and lives in a neighborhood that was mostly destroyed by the recent U.S. military invasion to depose dictator, Manuel Noriega. After their apartment is condemned, Danilo and his family are sent to a refugee camp. Months earlier, Danilo's father left the family to look for work in the United States, but now the calls from dad have stopped and he hasn't sent home any money either. Baseball, the thing Danilo shared with his father, has always made Danilo special -- now it might be the key to changing things for his family. An American baseball scout arranges for Danilo to come train in San Diego, and Danilo agrees to go, to hopefully track down his father and get the money his family needs. As his search for his dad wears on, tensions with his mostly white baseball team heighten, and as Danilo adapts to living with a wealthy, white American family, Danilo must decide what path he wants to pursue.

This historical fiction novel is set in an uncommon time period for a middle grade novel, and includes a good amount of information to familiarize readers with the setting. Danilo is a winning character, with struggles and inner thoughts that a lot of readers will connect to. His feelings of abandonment, his culture shock moving to America, his PTSD from surviving a military invasion, are all realistically and thoughtfully handled. But, even with some heavy topics, this is a fast-paced book with some really good kid topics. Kids who like sports will really enjoy the baseball aspect, and lots of kids will likely relate to Danilo trying to find his path.

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