A Good Long Way

"The two of you, stop it You're father and son; you should love each other," Roel howls at his father and brother as their argument turns into a shoving match. Beto is home past curfew, smelling like a cantina. When Beto Sr. tells his son to follow the rules or leave, the boy, a senior in high school, decides to leave. But, once he has walked away he has nowhere to go so turns to his best friend Jessy. Beto's decision to leave is told from shifting perspectives in which the lives of Roel, Beto, and Jessy are revealed in scenes that reflect teen-age life. Each one has a long way to go in growing up. Roel is book smart and fights teachers' assumptions that he's like Beto. Jessy is smart too, but most teachers only see her tough-girl act. And Beto somehow quit caring about school. And his teachers have given up too. Rene Saldana, Jr. writes another fast-paced, novel that will engage teens in questions about their own lives and responsibilities to family, friends and themselves.