#tbt: Mexican Whiteboy by Matt de la Peña

Mexican Whiteboy by Matt de la Peña. 256 p. Delacorte Press/ Random House Children's Books, August, 2008. 9780385733106. (Own)

Happy Thursday. #tbt features Mexican Whiteboy by Matt de la Peña. Biracial and sixteen, Danny feels like he doesn't fit in. His dad is gone and he's too dark for his white relatives and the kids at his prep school and too white for his Mexican relatives who live in National City. Add to that, the fact that he doesn't speak Spanish and while he's an ace pitcher, he's losing control of his game. Something's got to give. So his mother sends Danny to spend the summer between his junior and senior years with his father's extended family in National City.

Danny isn't always the most appealing character. He does make some questionable choices and there is one especially breathtakingly violent scene, but mature teen readers will be hooked, especially fans of baseball. The art and psychology of pitching are wonderfully conveyed here.

Mexican Whiteboy was published in 2008. It was Mr. de la Peña's second book, after his debut, Ball Don't Lie. In 2016, he won the Newbery Medal for his picture book, Last Stop on Market Street.

A note about covers. I usually try to find the original covers on the publisher website and link back to the page. In this case, only the newest cover iteration was available on PRH website. Though I see the appeal, I'm not a fan. There was another cover in between the original and #3. They are below.