“There are moments when a story shakes you...Barely Missing Everything is one of those stories, and Mendez, a gifted storyteller with a distinct voice, is sure to bring a quake to the literary landscape.” —Jason Reynolds, New York Times bestselling author of Long Way Down In the tradition of Jason Reynolds and Matt de la Peña, this heartbreaking, no-holds-barred debut novel told from three points of view explores how difficult it is to make it in life when you—your life, brown lives—don’t matter. 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 Quentin 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 are some things you just can’t plan for… Like Juan’s run-in with the police, like a sprained ankle, and a tanking math grade that will likely ruin his chance at a scholarship. Like JD causing the implosion of his family. Like letters from a man named Mando on death row. Like finding out this man could be the father your mother said was dead. Soon Juan and JD are embarking on a Thelma and Louise—like road trip to visit Mando. Juan will finally meet his dad, JD has a perfect subject for his documentary, and Fabi is desperate to stop them. But, as we already know, there are some things you just can’t plan for…
... Owen Wister, James Fenimore Cooper, B. M. Bower, J. Allan Dunn, Robert E. Howard, ... and when Forrest admitted having the widow Timberlake's beef herd, ...
Frost would kill the last of the blackberries and gooseberries that I'd found for us to subsist on. The acorns were long gone. I'd been lucky to find a crab ...
... Cinderellas turning to Vasilisas, Snow Queens into Father Frost, ... Two she'd heard from her own father, “The Mirror of Matsuyama” and “Kaguya-hime,” ...
"A tender and honest examination of love, longing, and loyalty in the face of modern war."—Laura Ruby, author of Bad Apple "While He Was Away is a wonderful love story with writing that is skillful and true."—Amy Timberlake, author of ...
Table of Contents A good deal of water had run under Beulah Bridge since Letty ... and the third, Deacon Todd's eldest son, had somehow or other met a siren ...
Table of Contents A good deal of water had run under Beulah Bridge since Letty ... and the third, Deacon Todd's eldest son, had somehow or other met a siren ...
“Casey is fairly withdrawn now, so don't be discouraged if she won't talk.” Andi puts a hand on my shoulder. “I'm sure your presence here will be a comfort to her.” “I hope so.” What if Casey doesn't even want to see me? “Let's go.
Casey sets the dining room table and eats with us, telling stories about Luke that make us laugh and make Luke's face grow redder and redder. “If I'd known all my deepest secrets were going to be spilled tonight, I'd have suggested we ...
A classic science fiction novel from bestselling author Neal Shusterman is back in print.
Deftly entwining swashbuckling action and quiet magic, Maggie Tokuda-Hall's inventive debut novel conjures a diverse cast of characters seeking mastery over their fates while searching for answers to big questions about identity, power, and ...