About this item
Highlights
- A sweetly humorous middle grade novel packed with action, basketball, and a dash of magical realism about friendship and family, first crushes, and belonging, from acclaimed author Gary Soto.Thirteen-year-old Jordan Mendoza has a huge crush on his classmate, Sierra, but he's never going to win her affections if he stays a C student and keeps embarrassing himself on the basketball court.
- 8-12 Years
- 8.3" x 5.4" Hardcover
- 240 Pages
- Juvenile Fiction, Social Themes
Description
About the Book
"Thirteen-year-old Jordan Mendoza has a huge crush on his classmate, Sierra, but he's never going to win her affections if he stays a C student and keeps embarrassing himself on the basketball court. And it doesn't help that his best friend, Antonio, likes to tease him about it all a little too much. But when Jordan dives into the waters of a dangerous irrigation canal to save a drowning puppy, he's suddenly got even more on his mind than kissing Sierra and making the starting team. Can he nurse the abandoned puppy back to health (and will his parents let him keep her)? Who threw her into the canal--and is it possible that there are more puppies needing rescue? And why are the cops suddenly at Jordan's door, looking for him?"--Book Synopsis
A sweetly humorous middle grade novel packed with action, basketball, and a dash of magical realism about friendship and family, first crushes, and belonging, from acclaimed author Gary Soto.
Thirteen-year-old Jordan Mendoza has a huge crush on his classmate, Sierra, but he's never going to win her affections if he stays a C student and keeps embarrassing himself on the basketball court. And it doesn't help that his best friend, Antonio, likes to tease him about it all a little too much.
But when Jordan dives into the waters of a dangerous irrigation canal to save a drowning puppy, he's suddenly got even more on his mind than kissing Sierra and making the starting team. Can he nurse the abandoned puppy back to health (and will his parents let him keep her)? Who threw her into the canal--and is it possible that there are more puppies needing rescue? And why are the cops suddenly at Jordan's door, looking for him?
There's something for every reader in this story's mix of humor, sports, themes of thrilling independence, subtle strands of magical realism, and timely social commentary, all held together by a sweet and satisfying emotional core.
Review Quotes
(Puppy Love) "Jordan is a protagonist worth rooting for; through his compassionate and earnest POV, Soto spins each seemingly disparate narrative into a cohesive and lightly socially conscious read." -- Publishers Weekly
(Puppy Love) "Lighthearted storytelling punctuated with humor makes this a feel-good novel about a boy's first love." -- Kirkus Reviews
(Puppy Love) "This frank, funny story is told in a wonderfully conversational tone. . . . A delightful examination of friendship, family, and love in all its forms." -- Booklist
(Facts of Life) "Soto writes with humor, wit, and a voice that will appeal to tweens." -- School Library Journal
(Accidental Love) "With humor and insight, [Soto] creates memorable, likable characters." -- Booklist
(Have Mercy on These Teenage Chimps) "[A] lighthearted, off-beat slice of life . . . Breezy and entertaining." -- Kirkus Reviews