We Were Here is a book written by Matt De La Pena and the book’s based on some group home kids that try to have a more successful life but fail. As the three group home kids Miguel, Rondell, and Mong escape, they meet plenty of challenges such as lack of money, lack of food, and even death. Miguel, Mong, and Rondell escape the group home planning to go to Mexico for a better life but a lot goes downhill and doesn’t work out. De La Pena uses traumatizing events to grow the main characters.

In the book, the author decides to make Mong seem like a really troubled kid who doesn’t know what to do with his life. Mong got diagnosed with depression and suicidal. This is because Mong’s dad tried to kill Mong’s mother, Mong, and then himself. Although Mong survived, both his parents died in this catastrophic event. “Mong! I shout, but he keeps walking toward the waves.” (Matt De La Pena 192) When Mong died, it made Miguel and Rondell more mature by showing them that death is still an option in the real world and that they weren’t invincible

The author also tries to make the characters more mature when they robbed the old man’s store. “You could tell by his expression he wasn’t being Mr. Tough Guy anymore.”(Matt De La  Pena 116) Mong, Miguel, and Rondell wanted to chastise the old store owner for being racist. While Mong showed no resistance and no change in his character, Miguel showed empathy for the old man. He knew that the old man doesn’t know better and that Mong was taking it too far. Although Miguel didn’t decide to stop the “punishment” he refused to slap the man when they told him to.

The last and most significant thing that the author does is make Miguel turn himself in. This shows an act of bravery and shows that Miguel matured since the beginning. At first when Jaden would call and mention going back to the group home, Miguel would just completely ignore the fact that Jaden asked the question. “This is the first step bro. I’m really proud of you."(Matt De La Pena 354) In the end though, Miguel would say that he would fully pay everything that he stole and he unexpectedly turned himself in.

Miguel, Rondell, and Mong are three group-home kids that have been through a substantial amount. During the book, the three boys matured a great amount. The series of traumatizing events that they go through is the reason that they have matured how much they have. Throughout the book, the author Matt De La Pena has made the characters change for the better.