American Road Trip

July 15, 2018
After Teodoro's older brother, Manny, left for Iraq, the Avila family began to fall apart.Then the 2008 financial crisis hit, and the Mexican-American Avilas downsized to a dumpy rental home amid a loss of income. Teodoro doesn't see much hope for his broken family, but news of Manny's return inspires the Avilas to improve their lives. Spurred on by an old childhood friend, Latina Wendy Martinez, and his Polynesian best bud, Caleb Ta'amu, Teodoro even tries to become a college-bound student. But when Manny comes home, he can't shake off the shock of war. Situated between the hope-filled election of Barack Obama and the beginning of Teodoro's senior year, Flores-Scott's (Jumped In, 2013) latest explores the fragile bonds of a fractured family through moments full of poignant confession and self-discovery. Teodoro's funny, wry first-person narration features quick, emotionally charged sentences that provide the narrative a breathless, hard-hitting quality. In hopes of helping Manny heal, Teodoro's spunky sister, Xochitl, plans an impromptu road trip, ensnaring an unknowing Teodoro in the process. The trio travels all along the West Coast, reconnecting with old friends and family. A final stop in New Mexico offers Teodoro the chance to help his brother confront his PTSD, pull his family together again, and possibly begin something meaningful with Wendy. Featuring a diverse cast of delightful characters, this novel bursts with much-needed optimism.A compassionate success. (resource list, author's note) (Fiction. 12-18)

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Starred review from July 16, 2018
The past few years have brought many hardships to Teodoro Avila, known as T, and his family. But during his junior year, T develops high hopes for the future. He is enjoying a budding romance, his grades are improving, and his brother, Manny, is finally coming home from deployment in Iraq. But when Manny returns suffering from PTSD, his violent outbursts and bouts of depression are messing up T’s plans to get himself and his family back on the right track. As tensions mount and the school year draws to a close, T’s older sister, Xochitl, decides it’s time for her and her brothers to hit the road. Unbeknownst to T and Manny, she has a plan—but if it doesn’t work, there could be devastating consequences. In a story about mending broken ties, making sacrifices, and visiting landscapes and loved ones from the past, Flores-Scott (Jumped In) invites readers to follow T on a road trip that brings to life the Avilas’ Latino heritage and Manny’s disorder. In addition to the book’s serious subject matter, it celebrates many things: family love, realized dreams, and the taste of a green chile cheeseburger. Ages 12–up.

August 1, 2018

Gr 7 Up-This novel paints an emotional portrait of the highs and lows on the journey to young adulthood. The plot focuses on high school junior Teodoro and the Avila family as they enter a period of crisis and struggle to maintain a cohesive unit. Teens will encounter relatable issues of economic hardship, wavering academic self-confidence, feuding parents, and a sense of growing despair as family members continue to grow farther apart. Teodoro's sudden romantic interest in a childhood friend becomes a catalyst for taking charge of his future and improving his grades. Shortly after, his older brother, Manny, returns from several military tours with a difficult case of PTSD and depression. As the Avila family is pushed to the brink, Teodoro's older sister takes the reins and plans a road trip that may just save everyone. Flores-Scott sheds light on important issues of mental health and attempted suicide while exploring the emotions of first love. He also adeptly provides a window and a mirror of Latinx culture and reimagines the American road trip as an individual journey, one deeply anchored in sacrifice for those we love. While some aspects of the trip are predictable, this narrative offers a fast-paced plot, high readability, and guaranteed tears of joy and sadness. VERDICT A must-purchase for fans of realistic fiction.-Monica Cabarcas, Albemarle High School, Charlottesville, VA

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2018
Grades 8-12 *Starred Review* Despite living in near poverty, Teodoro T Avila's dream is to change his life during his junior year of high school. Fueled by a blossoming romance with Wendy Martinez and abstinence from video games, T's goals are to better his grades, get into college, be with Wendy, and make something of himself. He partners with his best friend, Caleb, and things start to look up. But when T's older, near-legendary brother, Manny, comes home from Iraq with extreme PTSD, T's focus is split between maintaining his studies and monitoring his brother's safety. Without warning, Xochitl, their forcefully passionate sister, tricks Manny and T into a summer road trip designed to help Manny heal. Many sacrifices and tough decisions are made, but they're consistently underscored by compassion. Told via T's honest, engaging, and often-naive voice, the story openly explores mental illness spawned by war and how the illness affects family members and those around them. Teodoro is a likable, eyes-wide-open narrator, and there is no question that his life, like so many others, is messy and filled with open ends. This powerful story also reminds readers that the paths to their dreams may have to take detours but are still attainable. Fans of Laurie Halse Anderson's The Impossible Knife of Memory (2014) will want to read this.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)