Juan has plans. He’s going to get out of El Paso, Texas, on a basketball scholarship and make something of himself—or at least find something better than his mom Fabi’s cruddy apartment, her string of loser boyfriends, and a dead dad. Basketball is going to be his ticket out, his ticket up. He just needs to make it happen. His best friend JD has plans, too. He’s going to be a filmmaker one day, like Quinten Tarantino or Guillermo del Toro (NOT Steven Spielberg). He’s got a camera and he’s got passion—what else could he need? Fabi doesn’t have a plan anymore. When you get pregnant at sixteen and have been stuck bartending to make ends meet for the past seventeen years, you realize plans don’t always pan out, and that there some things you just can’t plan for…
Topics Best friends. Friendship. Mexican Americans. Prejudices. Conduct of life. Family life. El Paso, Texas.
SRC Level 6.300000
SRC Points 18.000000
Lexile 800L
Trim Size 8 1/4" x 5 1/2"
JLG Span Spring
Language English
Rights type Print
Publication date 2019-03-04
JLG Release Date May 2019
Minimum grade 9
Maximum grade 12
Reading level High
Format Print
City Life High (Grades9 & Up)
City Life High
City Life High (Grades9 & Up)
For Grades 9 & Up
Teen readers looking for realistic city settings and urban themes will enjoy these often-gritty titles that deal with contemporary situations and feature ethnically and culturally diverse characters. These titles will have special appeal for urban teens who want to see their own lives reflected in the books they read. Readers interested in the excitement and challenges of a city setting will also be drawn to the 12 books that comprise this category.