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jwinchell's review against another edition
Another option for 9th grade summer reading... I could not get past the limits of the 3rd person POV.
meridithrbowman's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
YA level
maryehavens's review against another edition
1.0
Abandoned very early in. Had nothing to do with the story, everything to do with the exaggerated accents the narrator gave the characters. Maybe it was written like that, I don't know for sure, but I do know that I was not going to listen to 7 hours of audio where I wanted to cringe continually.
thenextgenlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
Mexican Whiteboy is a coming-of-age sports novel that deals with not knowing your place in the world, family relationships and learning more about oneself. Danny’s mother is a white woman and his father is a Mexican man who is absent from his life. Danny grew up not speaking Spanish and without financial hardships. It’s not until he visits his father’s family near San Diego that he realizes how much he doesn’t fit in anywhere and really wants to. This was a great read to build suspense, discuss race, privilege, the bonds of family, new love and, of course, baseball. I really enjoyed this book even though at times it felt like it dragged, but that could also be because I was listening to it on audiobook, which I hate, but it was free so
amyappy's review against another edition
4.0
Better than De la Pena's first book, Ball Don't Lie. A moving story about a kid with two worlds who doesn't feel like he belongs in either learning to find control of his fastball and control of his own life.
sashana's review against another edition
4.0
3.75
There is something truly captivating about [a:Matt de la Pena|204966|Matt de la Pena|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1383138905p2/204966.jpg]'s writing style. Once you get a few pages in it's really hard to put his books down.
There is something truly captivating about [a:Matt de la Pena|204966|Matt de la Pena|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1383138905p2/204966.jpg]'s writing style. Once you get a few pages in it's really hard to put his books down.
lcmarie19's review against another edition
5.0
This was the first Matt de la Peña book that I've ever read and I am happy to say that ALL of my expectations were met. I simply adored every single aspect of this book! From the moments of confusion to anger to sadness to happiness to humor. I just felt everything I could possibly feel for these characters and the lives they led.
Danny was who I thought I would be the most enamored with, and while I absolutely loved him and wanted to protect him from the world... there was another character who snuck up on me and stole my heart completely and became my precious little cinnamon roll!
de la Peña's writing is not complicated. It's not perfect, nor is it imperfect. It's very simplistic. There is not a lot of fluff. It's very straightforward. But the dynamic that is captured by the simplicity of his writing is fantastic. Never once was I bored. Never once did anything feel unimportant. I found a way to connect with every single character throughout this book, despite having experienced NOTHING similar to any of them. But on an emotional level, I was so in tune with Danny, with Uno, with Sofia, and many others.
Witnessing Danny struggle with his identity, figuring out who he was and what he meant to people on BOTH sides of his family was probably the most impactful part for me -- outside of Uno's amazingly complicated story. I also found that de la Peña did a great job of using the secondary characters for delivering additional bits of life lessons, especially through Sofia.
Overall, I just adored this book. I think it's an excellent introduction to the insight of what it's like to feel othered. Danny felt othered. He felt outside of BOTH of his ethnicities. This book captured a lot of that confusion and hurt. I would LOVE to read more from this author.
Danny was who I thought I would be the most enamored with, and while I absolutely loved him and wanted to protect him from the world... there was another character who snuck up on me and stole my heart completely and became my precious little cinnamon roll!
de la Peña's writing is not complicated. It's not perfect, nor is it imperfect. It's very simplistic. There is not a lot of fluff. It's very straightforward. But the dynamic that is captured by the simplicity of his writing is fantastic. Never once was I bored. Never once did anything feel unimportant. I found a way to connect with every single character throughout this book, despite having experienced NOTHING similar to any of them. But on an emotional level, I was so in tune with Danny, with Uno, with Sofia, and many others.
Witnessing Danny struggle with his identity, figuring out who he was and what he meant to people on BOTH sides of his family was probably the most impactful part for me -- outside of Uno's amazingly complicated story. I also found that de la Peña did a great job of using the secondary characters for delivering additional bits of life lessons, especially through Sofia.
Overall, I just adored this book. I think it's an excellent introduction to the insight of what it's like to feel othered. Danny felt othered. He felt outside of BOTH of his ethnicities. This book captured a lot of that confusion and hurt. I would LOVE to read more from this author.
thenextgenlib's review against another edition
4.0
Mexican Whiteboy is a coming-of-age sports novel that deals with not knowing your place in the world, family relationships and learning more about oneself. Danny’s mother is a white woman and his father is a Mexican man who is absent from his life. Danny grew up not speaking Spanish and without financial hardships. It’s not until he visits his father’s family near San Diego that he realizes how much he doesn’t fit in anywhere and really wants to. This was a great read to build suspense, discuss race, privilege, the bonds of family, new love and, of course, baseball. I really enjoyed this book even though at times it felt like it dragged, but that could also be because I was listening to it on audiobook, which I hate, but it was free so