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Characters
 BEHIND THE MOUNTAINS by Edwidge Dandicat
Celiane Esperance --- the narrator. Celiane faces the changes in her life with courage and good humor. A keen observer of her environment and people, Celiane is sensitive to the feelings of others and tries to help them as best she can. She is wise beyond her years, seeing perhaps what others may miss in a situation. She learns a great deal during the move from mountain to city, and the even bigger move from Haiti to America.
Aline Esperance --- Celiane's mother. Aline loves her children very much and is quite protective of them. She hates the political upheavals in her country because they so often hurt innocent people, and she despises politicians. The separation from her husband is quite difficult to cope with, but she bears her loneliness bravely.
Moy Esperance --- Celiane's older brother. Moy is very fond of and close to his little sister. After his father leaves Haiti to try to make a place for his family in America, Moy becomes the man of the household. He tends the fields and the animals, and does his best to help his mother in any way he can. He loves to paint more than anything else and is quite talented.
Victor Esperance --- Celiane's father. Victor worked hard for many years to bring his family to America and made many sacrifices towards that goal. It's hard for him to adjust to having his family members with him, especially Moy, who is not always going to accept orders from him. Though he is a stubborn man, Victor loves his family enough to be willing to unbend when Celiane asks him to.
Tante Rose --- Victor's sister. When she was young, Tante Rose left the village for the city and trained to be a nurse. She doesn't understand why her brother and his family prefer to live in the village. Unlike Celiane's village family, who has a tiny two-room house, Tante Rose has a big house in the city that she shares with boarders. Celiane's father is proud of his sister, and despite their differences, they love one another very much. In times of trouble, Tante Rose does all she can to help her brother's family.
Granme and Granpe Nozial --- Celiane's grandparents, who also live in a hill village not far from where Celiane resides.
Therese --- Celiane's best friend, who fancies that she is in love with Moy. Celiane and Therese are often mistaken for sisters.
Franck --- Victor's friend, boss and sponsor, who helps to expedite the removal of Celiane, Moy and Aline from Haiti. Franck does his best to make the family's life in their new country better and more comfortable.
 FLIGHT TO FREEDOM by Ana Veciana-Suarez
Yara --- the narrator. Yara is a quiet and observant girl who hates to see discord of any kind. Her greatest wish is to have her family together again and see all of its members happy. Seeing and hearing her parents and sisters fight and cry distresses her a great deal. Yara is also a very brave and determined girl who takes on her inability to speak English as a challenge. She manages to learn the language in a remarkably short period of time and is justifiably proud of this achievement, as well as her ability to act as translator for her family. Like so many exiles, Yara feels torn between her old home and her new one, not wanting to be disloyal to Cuba, but at the same time, not wanting to be ungrateful towards America.
Ileana --- Yara's older sister. Ileana is quick to adopt the ways of their new home, which leads to many conflicts between her and her parents, especially her father. It isn't long before she is secretly spending time with an American boy and going to meetings where the students are talking about the peace movement. Ileana soon has Yara going out with her to illicit parties and rendezvous with Tommy. Their secret nightlife binds the sisters but also frightens Yara, who doesn't like what Ileana is doing.
Mami --- Yara's mother. Mami appears to be quite submissive to her husband, but she soon begins to develop a more independent personality. It isn't long before she is insisting that she take a job to help support the family. She later learns how to drive, much to her husband's amazement. Mami is strongly opposed to her husband's activities in the militia.
Papi --- Yara's father. Papi is determined to have his family return to Cuba, and is not content to simply wait for Castro's regime to fall. Instead he joins a local Cuban militia group and even goes so far as to get into a boat that is headed to Cuba. Presumably, he and those with him are going to participate in some kind of revolution. Papi also tries to hold onto Cuban customs, fighting against the adoption of "Yankee" ways of life.
Ana Mari --- Yara's little sister. The baby of the family, Ana Mari has a tendency to cry a lot. At the same time, Ana Mari is always there, and she and Yara comfort each other during the hard times.
Pepito --- Drafted into the Cuban army, Yara's elder brother is one of the strongest links Yara's family has with Cuba. But they hardly ever hear from him and constantly worry about him.
Abuelo Tony and Abuela Maria --- Yara's grandparents, who are already settled in Miami when Yara's family arrives. Abuelo Tony is especially close to Yara and Ana Mari, and his death is very hard for Yara to bear.
Tio Pablo and Tia Carmen --- Yara's uncle and aunt.
Efrain --- Yara's cousin, who is a constant source of support for Yara's family. He is always patient and kind with the sisters, helping them to learn the language and the customs of their new home, and is always there in times of crisis. When he leaves to join the army, Yara becomes very upset and feels as if she has lost yet another brother to war.
Jane --- Yara's first real friend in Miami. Jane's mother and grandparents are kind and sensitive to the different ways of Yara's family. Jane helps Yara both with schoolwork and with adapting to the American way of life.
 FINDING MY HAT by John Son
Jin-Han Park --- a shy boy who doesn't like to get into trouble or do anything risky. He worries about the consequences of his actions and does not like being the center of attention. Jin-Han, like many other children of immigrants, is unsure of where his loyalties lie. Is he Korean or is he American? He just wants to be a kid.
Uhmmah --- Jin-Han's mother seems to have a more difficult time adjusting to life in the United States than the rest of her family does. She understands less English than her son and husband, and thus is more isolated. For her, working in the wig shop is a trial and communicating with the clients is painful. She is happiest when in the presence of other Koreans.
Ahpbah --- Jin-Han's father is cheerful and optimistic. He speaks to his children in the language of his adopted country, even though his English isn't perfect. Ahpbah laughs easily and seems to genuinely enjoy life. He loves his family deeply and works hard to provide for them as best he can.
Jin-Soo --- Jin-Han's little sister. At first Jin-Han cares for and protects her, taking on this role with great ease and just a little pride. He then adopts that all too familiar role of the bossy and somewhat bullying older brother. Unfortunately, at times, Jin-Soo becomes the outlet for his frustration, but she takes it stoically and with good grace.
Sue --- Jin-Han's first real girlfriend. It is with Sue that Jin-Han experiences those first awkward moments of not knowing what to do when alone with a girl. Sue is a kind and thoughtful person who seems to know that Jin-Han is struggling, and she does her best to put him at ease.
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