Benjamin Alire Sáenz

This Printz Honor Book is a “tender, honest exploration of identity” (Publishers Weekly) that distills lyrical truths about family and friendship.

Product Description: On the surface, Ramiro Lopez and Jake Upthegrove couldn't live more different lives. Ram is Mexican-American, lives in the poor section of town, and is doing his best to keep his mother sane while his brother fights off a drug-induced coma. Jake is a WASP who drives a nice car, lives in a mansion, and has a mother who drinks a bit too much and a step-father who cheats on her. But there is one point, one issue, where their lives are exactly the same; their fathers walked out on them when they were just young boys.

This Hollywood is a barrio in 1968 New Mexico, where the students at Las Cruces High School struggle through heartbreak, loss, and an entrenched racial divide to find their place in the world.

When Gabriela and Diego ask for a dog, their parents tell them that they will have to share, which the siblings reluctantly accept…While teaching her a trick, the children discover the pup loves tortillas; soon she is known to the entire neighborhood for her gentleness, sweetness, and as the dog who loves tortillas. When Sofie gets sick, the children finally learn to share her. Full-page innovative and colorful clay illustrations will hold the attention of young readers. — School Library Journal