Starred review from January 2, 2017
Sáenz (Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe) explores the relationships of a high school senior during troubling times, in a coming-of-age story suffused with warmth and compassion. Sal is devastated when he learns that his beloved grandmother, Mima, is dying of cancer, but that isn’t the only thing on his mind. He’s frightened by the violent impulses within him that have unexpectedly surfaced after one classmate calls his gay adoptive father a “faggot” and another calls Sal a “pinche gringo” (Sal punches both offenders). Then there’s the unopened letter from Sal’s late biological mother. Luckily, Sal has support from several loving individuals, including his adopted Mexican-American family, who welcomed him with open arms at age three, and two close friends: Sammy, who remains loyal even after suffering a tragedy of her own, and Fito, who has emerged a survivor despite an unstable family life. Written in short chapters that eloquently describe Sal’s deepest fears and most intense moments of affection, the story celebrates compassion and the love of family. Ages 12–up. Agent: Patricia Moosbrugger, Patricia Moosbrugger Literary.
December 15, 2016
Three college-bound Latino teens navigate their ways through senior year in El Paso. Born to white parents, Salvador was adopted at the age of 3 by a gay, Mexican-American man and embraced by his extended family. His closest friends are Sam, an extroverted girl with a drama-filled life, and Fito, a gay boy who for all intents and purposes is homeless. Sal tries to maintain a calm, controlled life, but when a student hurls the word "faggot" at him, he responds quickly with his fists. He starts to wonder if he's inherited violent tendencies from his biological father, whom he never knew. In dialogue-rich prose, Saenz explores Sal's internal struggles with his churning emotions during a year of life-changing events: "all of a sudden I felt like I was living my life in a relay race and there was no one else to hand the baton to." Journallike chapters of varying lengths are prefaced with spare titles--"WFTD = Comfort"; "Me. Alone. Not." The well-constructed pacing of the novel, with its beautifully expansive prose punctuated by text messages between Sal and Sam, demonstrates the author's talent for capturing the richness of relationships among family and friends. The author of Printz Honor-winning Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (2012) offers another stellar, gentle look into the emotional lives of teens on the cusp of adulthood. (Fiction. 14-17)
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Starred review from January 1, 2017
Gr 9 Up-It is the first day of senior year, and Sal feels as if his life is exactly as it should be. He has always been certain of his place with his adoptive gay father and their loving Mexican American extended family. Sal's best friend, Samantha, is almost like his sister. She really gets him, and more often than not, she finishes his sentences and knows exactly what he is thinking, even when he won't admit it. Sal is an inward thinker who struggles with anger that has begun to boil just under the surface. After tragedy strikes Samantha's life and leaves her reeling, Sal and his father take responsibility for her well-being and bring her into their family circle. At the same time, Sal befriends Fito, a streetwise teen trying to find his place in a world not of his own choosing. Sal and Samantha show Fito that his life has purpose, just as they discover the same about their own lives. Sal's history unexpectedly haunts him, and life-changing events force him and Samantha to confront serious issues of faith, loss, and grief. The themes of love, social responsibility, death, and redemption are expertly intertwined with well-developed characters and a compelling story line. This complex, sensitive, and profoundly moving book is beautifully written and will stay with readers. VERDICT A must-purchase title, recommended for all school and public libraries.-Amy Caldera, Dripping Springs Middle School, TX
Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
March 1, 2017
Seventeen-year-old Salvador has always been close to his single, gay, adoptive father; his loving grandmother, Mima; his extended Mexican American family; and his loyal best friend, Samantha. After getting into two fistfights at the start of senior year, Sal finds that he's starting to ask myself a lot of questions that I never used to ask. I used to be okay with everything, and now I was going around hitting people. Things get more complicated after Mima's cancer returns, Sam loses her mother in a car accident (and moves in with Sal and his father), and Dad reconnects with an old flame and begins dating again. As mild-mannered, self-effacing Sal narrates his story, readers gradually come to feel the profound importance of family and friends, the dignity and worth of the human spirit, and the transcendent power of love. Saenz's distinctive prose style is lyrical and philosophical: Salvie, I have a theory that you can't sell yourself on an application form because you don't believe there's much to sell. You tell yourself that you're just this ordinary guyThere's nothing ordinary about you. Nothing ordinary at all. jonathan hunt
(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
November 15, 2016
Grades 9-11 Seventeen-year-old Sal has had both bad luck and great luck with family. His mother died when he was three, but she ensured he would be adopted by her best friend, Vicente, a loving gay man who brings with him a large, welcoming Mexican American family. He has also been blessed with his best friend, Sam, a girl with mother issues. Sal has mostly led a tranquil life, but his senior year turns out to contain unexpected upsets and sorrows, though also deeper chances to understand love. Saenz presents readers with several beautifully drawn relationships, especially that of Sal and his grandmother, who is dying of cancerthere is richness even in their silences. There are also some wonderful moments between father and son, though Vicente's perfection as a parent can defy belief (not surprisingly, he's compared to Atticus Finch). There are times when the story is weighed down by repetitive conversations, but there are numerous heartfelt moments as well. Sal is one of those characters you wonder about after the book is closed. Maybe Saenz will tell us more.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)