NOVELS
July 23, 2024
(Abrams Books) |
The Reckoning of RokuRoku never expected to be the Avatar. Even his best friend, Crown Prince Sozin of the Fire Nation, doubts the accuracy of the Fire Sages’ announcement. After all, Sozin is the strongest Firebender of their generation, while Roku struggles to grasp basic airbending principles—even after months of training under Sister Disha, his airbending master.
When Sozin requests the new Avatar’s aid in preventing the Earth Kingdom from claiming a remote Fire Nation island, it doesn’t surprise Roku that Sister Disha advises him to decline. Convinced the Earth King’s aggressive expansion of territory points to a more insidious agenda, Roku steals away with the help of an irritating young Airbender named Gyatso. As the reluctant companions delve deeper into their wayward mission, they realize the fog-shrouded island harbors a secret that could lead to catastrophe in the wrong hands. Plagued by self-doubt but eager to confront the dangers ahead, Avatar Roku must learn where to place his trust and what it means to be a spirit of no nation . . . even if the lesson comes at a great personal cost. Abrams Books |
Aug 27, 2024
(Kokila/Penguin) |
Everything We Never HadEDUCATOR'S GUIDE
A powerful, gripping novel from National Book Award–finalist Randy Ribay that spans four time periods and four generations of Filipino American boys as they grapple with identity, assimilation, and masculinity. Watsonville, 1930. Francisco Maghabol barely ekes out a living in the fields of California. As he spends what little money he earns at dance halls and faces increasing violence from white men in town, Francisco wonders if he should’ve never left the Philippines. Stockton, 1965. Between school days full of microaggression from white students and teachers and night shifts working at his aunt’s restaurant, Emil refuses to follow in the footsteps of his farm labor organizer father, Francisco. He’s going to make it in this country no matter what or who he has to leave behind. Denver, 1983. Whether it’s tanking his grades or joining the football team, Chris is determined to prove his overbearing father, Emil, can’t control him. However, when a missed assignment on “ancestral history” sends Chris off the team and into the library, he discovers a desire to know more about Filipino history―even if his father insists they’re just American. Philadelphia, 2020. Enzo struggles to keep his anxiety in check as a global pandemic breaks out and his abrasive grandfather moves into Enzo’s bedroom. While tensions are high between his dad and his lolo, Enzo’s daily walks with Lolo Emil have him wondering if maybe he can help bridge their decades-long rift. Told in multiple perspectives, over four generations of a single family, Everything We Never Had is a story about father-son relationships and of forging your own path within a family or society that urges you to follow theirs. |
June 2019
(Kokila/Penguin) |
Patron Saints of NothingEDUCATORS' GUIDE
Jay Reguero plans to spend the last semester of his senior year playing video games before heading to the University of Michigan in the fall. But when he discovers that his Filipino cousin Jun was murdered as part of President Duterte's war on drugs, and no one in the family wants to talk about what happened, Jay travels to the Philippines to find out the real story. Hoping to uncover more about Jun and the events that led to his death, Jay is forced to reckon with the many sides of his cousin before he can face the whole horrible truth -- and the part he played in it. As gripping as it is lyrical, Patron Saints of Nothing is a page-turning portrayal of the struggle to reconcile faith, family, and immigrant identity. 2019 Freeman Book Award winner for YA; Finalist for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, LA Times Book Prize for YA, MWA Edgar Award for Best YA, the CILIP Carnegie Medal, and the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award; Named one of the best YA books of 2019 by Amazon, NPR, Buzzfeed, Paste Magazine, Audible, Fully Booked, Philippine Daily Inquirer, NY Public Library, Texas Librarians' Association, YALSA, & Kirkus Bookshop | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble | Penguin |
March 2018
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) |
After the Shot DropsBunny and Nasir have been best friends forever, but when Bunny accepts an athletic scholarship across town, Nasir feels betrayed. While Bunny tries to fit in with his new, privileged peers, Nasir spends more time with his cousin, Wallace, who is being evicted. Nasir can't help but wonder why the neighborhood is falling over itself to help Bunny when Wallace is in trouble.
When Wallace makes a bet against Bunny, Nasir is faced with an impossible decision—maybe a dangerous one. Told from alternating perspectives, After the Shot Drops is a heart-pounding story about the responsibilities of great talent and the importance of compassion. Bookshop | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble | HMH |
October 2015
(Simon & Schuster) |
An Infinite Number of Parallel UniversesFour friends from wildly different backgrounds have bonded over Dungeons & Dragons since the sixth grade. Now they're facing senior year and a major shift in their own universes. Archie is struggling with his parents' divorce after his dad comes out as gay. Mari is terrified of her adoptive mother's life-altering news. Dante is carrying around a huge secret that is proving impossible to keep hidden. And when Sam gets dumped by the love of his life, everyone is ready to join him on a cross-country quest to win her back. The four quickly discover that the road is not forgiving, and that real life is no game.
Bookshop | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble | Simon & Schuster |
