teen fiction; crime-related trauma/group homes. I couldn't get the vernacular to sound right in my head, but (from what little I read) the characters seemed compelling enough to keep the attention of kids that like these kinds of stories.

Miguel has been sent to a group home for a year after committing a crime that shattered his family. Trying to remain isolated due to his guilt, Miguel starts a journal and eventually escapes from the home with his housemates, simple-minded Rondell and violent, mysterious Mong. Their plan to get to Mexico quickly falls apart and they begin traveling the coast of California, trying to figure out where they can go.

I liked the main character Miguel. His voice felt realistic and believable, although not all the events in the novel did. Unfortunately, Rondell was a bit of a magic black person figure rather than a character, which took away from the story, and Miguel's crime was not revealed until the very end, although it was pretty easy to guess. Matt de la Pena is a talented writer working with unusual subject matter and characters, and I would like to see him tackle something a bit more gritty and unpredictable. ( )

Decent story, though predictable and drawn out. ( )

Great read for HS boys-some rough situations, but positive message. ( )

As far as I’m concerned this is the best YA book of the year. Three teenagers escape from a juvenile home, steal the home’s petty cash, and try to make their way to Mexico. It is a coming of age story told with a realistic, funny and heartbreaking voice. The characters are very real and likeable, and that just makes seeing them make a string of bad decisions so much harder. This is a book to recommend to both a reluctant boy reader, and a more sophisticated reader looking for something with substance. ( )