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Matt de la Peña

Mexican WhiteBoy Kindle Edition

by Matt de la Peña (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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Newbery Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Matt de la Peña's Mexican WhiteBoy is a story of friendship, acceptance, and the struggle to find your identity in a world of definitions.

Danny's tall and skinny. Even though he’s not built, his arms are long enough to give his pitch a power so fierce any college scout would sign him on the spot. Ninety-five mile an hour fastball, but the boy’s not even on a team. Every time he gets up on the mound he loses it.
   But at his private school, they don’t expect much else from him. Danny’ s brown. Half-Mexican brown. And growing up in San Diego that close to the border means everyone else knows exactly who he is before he even opens his mouth. Before they find out he can’t speak Spanish, and before they realize his mom has blond hair and blue eyes, they’ve got him pegged. But it works the other way too. And Danny’s convinced it’s his whiteness that sent his father back to Mexico.
   That’s why he’s spending the summer with his dad’s family. Only, to find himself, he may just have to face the demons he refuses to see--the demons that are right in front of his face. And open up to a friendship he never saw coming.
   Matt de la Peña's critically acclaimed novel is an intimate and moving story that offers hope to those who least expect it.

"[A] first-rate exploration of self-identity."-SLJ

"Unique in its gritty realism and honest portrayal of the complexities of life for inner-city teens...De la Peña poignantly conveys the message that, despite obstacles, you must believe in yourself and shape your own future."-The Horn Book Magazine

"The baseball scenes...sizzle like Danny's fastball...Danny's struggle to find his place will speak strongly to all teens, but especially to those of mixed race."-Booklist

"De la Peña blends sports and street together in a satisfying search for personal identity."-Kirkus Reviews

"Mexican WhiteBoy...shows that no matter what obstacles you face, you can still reach your dreams with a positive attitude. This is more than a book about a baseball player--this is a book about life."-Curtis Granderson, New York Mets outfielder

An ALA-YALSA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults

A Junior Library Guild Selection

Print length

271 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Delacorte Press
Publication date

August 12, 2008
Reading age

14 years and up
Grade level

9 - 12
File size

6590 KB
Page Flip

Enabled
Word Wise

Not Enabled
Enhanced typesetting

Enabled
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Erika L. Sánchez
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Matt de la Peña
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"[A] first-rate exploration of self-identity."-SLJ

"Unique in its gritty realism and honest portrayal of the complexities of life for inner-city teens...De la Peña poignantly conveys the message that, despite obstacles, you must believe in yourself and shape your own future."-The Horn Book Magazine

"De la Peña does an excellent job...Readers see themselves in Danny, Uno, and Sofia, whether or not they share their backgrounds. In the end, they find themselves wanting the characters to succeed."-VOYA

"The baseball scenes...sizzle like Danny's fastball...Danny's struggle to find his place will speak strongly to all teens, but especially to those of mixed race."-Booklist

"De la Peña blends sports and street together in a satisfying search for personal identity."-Kirkus Reviews

"Deftly explores the subject of interracial mixing."-Multicultural Review

"Matt de la Peña has done the impossible; fired a perfect fastball on the low inside corner and hit a towering home run at the same time. A tough, funny, edgy, hopeful story about friendship under fire and love in its true sense."-Chris Crutcher, author of Deadline and Whale Talk

"Mexican WhiteBoy...shows that no matter what obstacles you face, you can still reach your dreams with a positive attitude. This is more than a book about a baseball player--this is a book about life."-Curtis Granderson, New York Mets outfielder

An ALA-YALSA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults

A Junior Library Guild Selection

From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—Danny is constantly out of place, or at least that's how he sees it. He has a gift for pitching-his lanky arms can throw a baseball fast enough to get noticed by any coach or college scout-but he loses his cool on the mount. His mother is a blue-eyed blonde, but the color of his skin sets him apart at the private school he attends in San Diego, where he isn't "white enough." He isn't "Mexican enough" for the barrio either though. He looks Mexican so everyone assumes he speaks Spanish, but he doesn't. He can throw a baseball 95 miles per hour but isn't on any team. All in all, he is out of place. When he spends the summer with relatives in his dad's old neighborhood, Danny becomes convinced that if he saves up enough money he can go to Mexico and find his father. Danny is desperate to find his place in this world and develop a sense of self, longings that will ring true with any teen. Narrator Herny Leyva effortlessly eases among various tones, accents, and languages, creating an audio experience with a lot of depth. This is an essential purchase for communities serving Latinos, urban, and reluctant readers.—Katie Llera, Bound Brook High School, NJ --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Dressed in a well-worn Billabong tee, camo cargo shorts and a pair of old-school slip-on Vans, Danny Lopez follows his favorite cousin, Sofia, as she rolls up on the cul-de-sac crowd with OG swagger.

A bunch of heads call out to her, "Hey, Sofe!" "Yo, girl!" "There she is!" and wave.

Sofia waves back, pulls Danny by the arm toward a group of girls sitting on a blanket in an uneven semicircle. "Oye putas," she says. "Yo, this my cousin Danny I was telling you about. He's gonna be staying with me for the summer." She smiles big--proud, Danny thinks. "Yo, cuz, these are my girls." She points them out and rattles off names: "Carmen, Raquel, Angela, Bee, Juanita, Flaca and Guita."

"Hey," the girls singsong in unison.

Danny nods with a shy smile, aims his eyes at the asphalt. He feels the heat of their stares and for a second he wishes he could morph into one of the ants zigzagging in and out of tiny crevices in the street. Their little lives, he thinks, totally off the radar.

Danny's sixteen, a shade over six foot and only a year younger than Sofia, but unless he's on a pitching mound he feels like a boy. He's long and thin with skinny arms hanging down skinny thighs--his arm length the reason he can fire a fastball so hard. His shoulders are wide, but his muscles have yet to catch up. Sometimes when he sees himself in a mirror it looks like his shirt is propped up by an upside-down coat hanger. Not a human body. Doesn't even look real.

And Danny's brown. Half-Mexican brown. A shade darker than all the white kids at his private high school, Leucadia Prep. Up there, Mexican people do under-the-table yard work and hide out in the hills because they're in San Diego illegally. Only other people on Leucadia's campus who share his shade are the lunch-line ladies, the gardeners, the custodians. But whenever Danny comes down here, to National City--where his dad grew up, where all his aunts and uncles and cousins still live--he feels pale. A full shade lighter. Albino almost.

Less than.

"And just so you know," Sofia adds, "Danny ain't no big talker, all right? He's mad smart, gets nothin' but A's at the best private school in San Diego, but don't get your chones in a bunch if you can't never pull him into a convo." Sofia looks prettier than Danny remembers. Less of a tomboy. Her hair long now, makeup around her eyes.
Carmen clears her throat, says: "He don't need to talk to give me no deep-tissue massage." She gives Danny an exaggerated wink.

"Ain't need no words for us to soak in a nice Jacuzzi bath together," Flaca says. She reaches out, puts her hand on one of Danny's Vans. "We can just sit there, Papi. Backs against them jet thingies. Take turns sippin' a little white Zin and shit. How's that sound, beautiful?"

Danny gives her a polite smile, but inside he's shrinking. He's trying to suck back into his shell, like a poked and prodded snail.

Behind his back he grips his left wrist, digs his fingernails into the skin until a sharp pain floods his mind, makes him feel real.

Angela and Bee comb Danny over with their almond-shaped eyes, devour his out-of-place surfer style like a pack of rabid dogs. Danny cringes at how different he must seem to his cousin's friends. They're all dark chocolate-colored, hair sprayed up, dressed in pro jerseys and Dickies, Timberlands. Gold and silver chains. Calligraphy-style tats. Danny's skin is too clean, too light, his clothes too soft. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

About the Author

Matt de la Peña is the first Mexican American author to win the Newbery Medal. He attended the University of the Pacific on a basketball scholarship and went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing at San Diego State University. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, where he teaches creative writing. Mexican WhiteBoy is his first novel. Look for his other books, Ball Don't Lie, We Were Here, I Will Save You, The Living, which was named a Pura Belpré Honor Book, and The Hunted, all available from Delacorte Press. You can also visit him at mattdelapena.com and follow @mattdelapena on Twitter. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From Booklist

Biracial Danny Lopez doesn’t think he fits anywhere. He feels like an outsider with his Mexican father’s family, with whom he is staying for the summer, and at his mostly white school, and he wonders if his confusion drove his father away. He also struggles with his obsession for baseball; a gifted player with a blazing fastball, he lacks control of his game. With the support of a new friend and his caring cousins, Danny begins to deal with the multitude of problems in his life, which include his tendency to cut himself, an unusual characteristic in a male YA protagonist. The author juggles his many plotlines well, and the portrayal of Danny’s friends and neighborhood is rich and lively. Where the story really lights up is in the baseball scenes, which sizzle like Danny’s fastball. A violent scene, left somewhat unresolved, is the catalyst for him to confront the truth about his father. Danny’s struggle to find his place will speak strongly to all teens but especially to those of mixed race. Grades 9-12. --Lynn Rutan --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B001F76TXO
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Delacorte Press (August 12, 2008)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 12, 2008
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 6590 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 271 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #622,038 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
483 ratings

About the author

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Matt de la Peña

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Matt de la Peña's debut novel, Ball Don't Lie, was an ALA-YALSA Best Book for Young Adults and an ALA-YALSA Quick Pick and was made into a major motion picture. His second novel, Mexican WhiteBoy, was an ALA-YALSA Best Book for Young Adult (Top Ten Pick), a Notable Book for a Global Society, a Junior Library Guild Selection and a Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book. His third novel, We Were Here, was an ALA-YALSA Best Book for Young Readers, an ALA-YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, and a Junior Library Guild Selection. His fourth book, I Will Save You, was an ALA-YALSA Best Book for Young Readers, an ALA-YALSA Quick Pick, a Junior Library Guild Selection and finalist for the 2011 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award. De la Peña’s fifth book, The Living, was a Junior Library Guild Selection, a 2014 Best Fiction for Young Adults and a Pura Belpré Author Honor Book.

His short fiction and essays have appeared in the New York Times, NPR.org and various literary journals, including Pacific Review, The Vincent Brothers Review, Chiricú, Two Girls’ Review, The George Mason Review, and The Allegheny Review. De la Peña received his MFA in creative writing from San Diego State University and his BA from the University of the Pacific, where he attended school on a full athletic scholarship for basketball. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, where he teaches creative writing. You can visit Matt and find out more about his books at mattdelapena.com and follow him on Twitter at @mattdelapena.

Customer reviews

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4 star		11%
3 star		4%
2 star		1%
1 star		4%

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Bay

I teach teenage boys who have dyslexia and they LOVE this book!

Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2020

Verified Purchase

Mexican White Boy is beautiful, soulful prose with paralel character development it is one of those rare gems that does justice to BOTH the boys and the girls in the story. If you are studying character perspectives- this is the book to use! Honestly, I am enjoying reading this book just as much as my boys are.

Please understand, reading is not easy for my guys, so I read parts of it and I read the first three chapters alond so the kids could get into the story, but now, I am making them read paragraphs i select aloud with expression and they LOVE doing it. I am not usually a fan of Round Robin instruction and i would NOT try this in a mainstream classroom with struggling readers, because that kind of nerve wracking experience can be very hard on dyslexic kids. I am doing this with very small groups (1-2-3) of students and the dialogue is so rich and familiar that my kids are throwing their acting skills into overdrive. They are in love- as am I.

BUY THIS BOOK!

14 people found this helpful

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Janet Rodriguez

The. Most. Stunning. Book.

Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2020

Verified Purchase

It is hard to say this about any book, but I believe this is a must-read for everyone in the USA. I was so impressed by the simplicity in language, but power of the punch that I will read everything by this author. Everything.

3 people found this helpful

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Neela Rodriguez

Relatable

Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2019

Verified Purchase

I loved this book! The storyline, the relatable EVERYTHING even the ending. Crazy. It was just great! I highly recommended it.

3 people found this helpful

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Chris Eppel

Nice story, easy read, fun book!

Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2020

Verified Purchase

Great story with a lot of subtle cues that paint vivid imagery. Author is a good storyteller, book was an easy read, read in one day.

3 people found this helpful

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Constanza Leal-Dasilva

Amazing Book

Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2021

Verified Purchase

My daughter's favorite book so far and she reads A LOT!! Her teacher also says it is one of her favorite's so my mom read it too and liked it a lot.

Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2012

Verified Purchase

I haven't finished the story yet, but so far so great. I really want to get this good with my own writing. The characters seem real. The story seems real. It's a very interested story. If I had the time I would read it in one sitting.

Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2018

Verified Purchase

Written from the heart and knowledge of a 'Homey" and the college of hard knox! I loved it!

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Amazon Customer

A great novel to add to your diverse reading list

Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2020

Verified Purchase

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the novel. It met my expectations and offers insights into the life and struggles of adolescents growing up in biracial families.

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Top reviews from other countries

Chanatkins

Characters are brilliantly drawn

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 2, 2018

Verified Purchase

I'm really glad I picked this book because now I've found an author I really like, and can't wait to read more of his books. This is the story of Danny, who is half white and half Mexican. His mother has set up home with a new boyfriend, and Danny is not quite sure what has happened to his father, except that he is just not around anymore. Danny goes to stay with his father's family, and hopes to get closer to his father as a result. Danny has never really fitted in anywhere, not with the white kids at his prep school, or with the Mexican kids he's now living among. As his alienation grows, his desire to talk becomes less and less until he is almost mute. He has a habit of digging into his own skin when something bothers him, as he just can't find the right words to say. Danny does have a talent though. He can pitch a baseball faster than just about anybody. And it's his obsession with and talent for baseball that sees an unlikely friendship blossom between Danny and Uno, a half Mexican, half black boy, who also has an absent father. They start off as enemies but soon become like brothers. It was this tender friendship which propelled the story forward. Danny never talks much, whereas Uno never stops. Uno feels protective of Danny and together they hustle baseball games to try to get some money together so they can both see their dads. The dialogue in this book is wonderful. The present tense is also a brilliant device and used expertly here to bring you immediately into the story and into the minds of these vibrant characters. I felt hugely involved with the characters, all of them were brilliantly drawn and so real to life. It's a fairly slow moving story, but that worked beautifully for me. I was in love with the characters, so the plot could have gone anywhere and I wouldn't have minded. Highly recommend this. Love the writing style!

One person found this helpful

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