Reviews

Mexican WhiteBoy by Matt de la Peña

nomomstayandread's review against another edition

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3.0

I’m a sucker for a spend the summer with relatives YA book but this was an odd one. I’m glad Uno grew up and Danny grew confidence but there was something that just didn’t click for me with this one.

Danny’s uncle basically murdered/assaulted someone and left them in the middle of the road and we’re just going to not ever talk about it again?

jrosenstein's review against another edition

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3.0

De la Pena's second book is nowhere near as good as his first, Ball Don't Lie but it's still a decent book. De la Pena does a nice job of blending sports action with a more sensitive exploration of the emotional life of boys who can't express their emotions. Teen boys are likely to find it a bit sappy and slow, though they might get drawn in by the realistic dialogue, emphasis on baseball, and the different father-son relationships shown in the book.

logikitty's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.25

carlisajc's review against another edition

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3.0

MATT DE LA PENA REQUIREMENT.

This book is about a boy named Danny who goes to live with his cousin over the summer. Danny is half-white and half-Mexican—aka why the title is Mexican Whiteboy—and this story is kind of him coming to terms with that, finding his identity when he doesn't really fit into either group. He's a phenomenal baseball player, pitching balls at 90+ mph even when he's drunk, so throughout the book, he's also trying to find himself in the sport.

I wasn't expecting to like this book. I'm not usually into the sports-y books, like I thought this one would be (because I totally judged the cover). But it was a lot more than that. It was about race and it was about finding yourself, no matter who that may be. It was about friendship and loyalties and trust. About family.

And it was really well-written. I've never been in a similar situation to these characters, but I still felt immersed in the story. It just felt authentic and real.

chloejen's review against another edition

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2.0

For starters, this book took me a week to finish. A WEEK. I thought is was sort of plotless and boring.

bibliobrandie's review against another edition

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I liked the writing and the story, but it just isn't my thing.

hannahtee93's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

roseleaf24's review against another edition

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4.0

I listened to this on audio, and had it playing at 1.25 speed; the story felt slow to me before I did that. Turns out it was just the reading speed. I loved the look at the friendship between these boys: one half white, half Mexican; the other half black, half Mexican. The culture of National City and this family is so vibrant and real, it was almost its own character.

beckywiththebooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

melonni's review against another edition

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  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0