Muchacho

September 1, 2009
Gr 9 Up-High school junior Eddie Corazon and his Mexican-American family live in a crime-infested town in New Mexico where kids are often pressed into service as drug runners if found on the streets alone. Eddie has his older cousin to look out for him, and he tells of the day when he was eight, and felt so proud to ride along with Enrique, drinking beer and smoking. But when Enrique stopped the car, knocked on a door, and shot the man who opened it in the face, young Eddie messed his pants, "smelling the stink of hopelessness that hung around my life." Eddie is now in an alternative high school and brandishing his role as juvenile delinquent until he meets Lupe, a bright girl with dreams of college. Keeping her as his girlfriend is the impetus for change, but poignant memoirs of a caring former teacher and the book "The Four Agreements" play a major role in Eddie's transformation into a reflective honor student. In the end, the future appears hopeful for the teen, though his change is a bit too didactic as he writes, "you can open a book and follow the words to some new place." Sometimes the first-person narrative is disjointed, and the story and characters don't always ring true. While the content may appeal to reluctant readers, the nonlinear story line will be a challenge. Also, the heavy-handed message could be a turnoff, and the numerous allusions to contemporary literature, while interesting, will be lost on most struggling teen readers."Patricia N. McClune, Conestoga Valley High School, Lancaster, PA"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2009
Grades 8-12 In a voice that feels authentic from the first line, Johnson (played by Michelle Pfeiffer in Dangerous Minds) has crafted a memorable portrait of a young man doing his best to get back on the right track in the face of serious societal pressures. Eddie is a secret reader beneath his tough guy attitude and bad behavior. A final infraction pushes Eddies strict father to exile him to his tios rural home, where Eddie makes a fresh start as Eduardo, a studious and confident guy who just might be a great poet. The caring adults in Eddies life provide just enough support for Eddie to find his way on his own, and peers who choose different paths provide a counterpoint to his good decision making. The vibrant voice, episodic nature of the story, and Eddies almost-there hopeful conclusion will likely draw parallels to Sherman Alexies The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (2007). Display this prominently so other secret readers will find a kindred spirit in Eduardo and numerous other reading suggestions cleverly woven into the text.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)