Muchacho: A Novel [Hardcover]

Louanne Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 2009

An inspiring YA debut from the author of Dangerous Minds.

Eddie Corazon is angry. He’s also very smart. But he’s working pretty hard at being a juvenile delinquent. He blows off school, even though he’s a secret reader. He hangs with his cousins, who will always back him up—when they aren’t in jail.

Then along comes Lupe, who makes his blood race. She sees something in Eddie he doesn’t even see in himself. A heart, and a mind, and something more: a poet. But in Eddie’s world, it’s a thin line between tragedy and glory. And what goes down is entirely in Eddie’s hands.

Gripping, thought-provoking, and hopeful, Muchacho is a rare and inspiring story about one teen’s determination to fight his circumstances and shape his own destiny.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up—High school junior Eddie Corazon and his Mexican-American family live in a crime-infested town in New Mexico where kids are often pressed into service as drug runners if found on the streets alone. Eddie has his older cousin to look out for him, and he tells of the day when he was eight, and felt so proud to ride along with Enrique, drinking beer and smoking. But when Enrique stopped the car, knocked on a door, and shot the man who opened it in the face, young Eddie messed his pants, "smelling the stink of hopelessness that hung around my life." Eddie is now in an alternative high school and brandishing his role as juvenile delinquent until he meets Lupe, a bright girl with dreams of college. Keeping her as his girlfriend is the impetus for change, but poignant memoirs of a caring former teacher and the book The Four Agreements play a major role in Eddie's transformation into a reflective honor student. In the end, the future appears hopeful for the teen, though his change is a bit too didactic as he writes, "you can open a book and follow the words to some new place." Sometimes the first-person narrative is disjointed, and the story and characters don't always ring true. While the content may appeal to reluctant readers, the nonlinear story line will be a challenge. Also, the heavy-handed message could be a turnoff, and the numerous allusions to contemporary literature, while interesting, will be lost on most struggling teen readers.—Patricia N. McClune, Conestoga Valley High School, Lancaster, PA END

Review

Review: MUCHACHO is a gem - and one that would be recommended for not only teens, but also for adults - particularly in education. Because for educators, the messages in the novel are priceless.
--BookTrends

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers; First Edition edition (September 8, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375861173
• ISBN-13: 978-0375861178
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #576,511 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Biography LouAnne Johnson

LouAnne Johnson is a former U.S. Navy journalist, Marine Corps officer, high school teacher, and the author of The New York Times bestseller Dangerous Minds. A native of rural northwestern Pennsylvania, LouAnne served nine years on active military duty first as an enlisted journalist in the Navy and later as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Marine Corps where she earned awards for her work as a journalist and radio-tv broadcaster. 

While on active duty, LouAnne earned a B.S. in Psychology. Following her honorable discharge, she attended graduate school to earn a Master of Arts in teaching English. In 1989, LouAnne began teaching reading and writing to non-English speakers as an intern at a high school in California. Two years later, she was appointed department chair of a special program for at-risk teens. During the government evaluation of 10 similar pilot programs, LouAnne's group was rated first in academic achievement, increased self-esteem, and student retention.


In 1992, she wrote a memoir My Posse Don't Do Homework, about her experiences working with at-risk teens. The book was published in eight languages and was adapted for the 1995 box office hit "Dangerous Minds" starring Michelle Pfeiffer.


Since then LouAnne has continued to teach. She has taught high school English, adult ESL and Developmental Reading and is presently a full-time professor of teacher education at Santa Fe Community College in New Mexico.

LouAnne also continues to write. She is the author of seven nonfiction books, most recently Teaching Outside the Box: How to Grab Your Students by Their Brains.

Muchacho, LouAnne's first novel, was published by Knopf in September 2009. The narrator of Muchacho, Eddie Corazon, is a 16-year-old juvenile delinquent and "secret reader" who attends an alternative high school in New Mexico.

LouAnne has presented keynote addresses to the National School Boards Association, the American School Counselors Association, the National Staff Development Council, and the European Council of International Schools, among others. She has appeared on several TV shows, including Oprah, CBS Eye to Eye, and NBC Weekend Today.

LouAnne maintains a website that has direct links to many of the topics she discusses during her presentations.

www.louannejohnson.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, November 29, 2009

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Muchacho: A Novel (Hardcover)

Eddie Corazon is a character who you won't soon forget.

He lives in a world where being a bad boy is the cool thing to do. He hangs out with his cousins in a bad neighborhood, and the boys are just on the edge of being juvenile delinquents. He skips school and gets poor grades as a matter of choice, but he is a secret reader, and poet. He has promised his Mami that he won't drop out of school, but he's pretty sure he will fail.

Then he meets Lupe, and his world changes. She brings out the best in Eddie, and sees things in him that he doesn't. Her father is none too happy about their relationship; he wants more for his smart, energetic daughter. Eddie doesn't seem to have a very bright future the way he is going, but then he begins to think like Lupe. Maybe he could make the future work for him, too.

It's hard to make changes in his behavior with his cousins and friends encouraging him to follow their lead...but Eddie really wants to be able to hang out with the beautiful, smart Lupe.

Eddie's transition is a very moving story with complex characters in a tough world. It shows that positive changes can be made through hard work and perseverance, and that the bad choices are tempting, but conquerable. The story is narrated by Eddie with straight-forward language and a viewpoint all his own, by turns funny and serious. Eddie is a boy who girls will fall in love with, and a guy boys will be able to relate to.

Highly recommended for even reluctant readers.

Reviewed by: Grandma Bev

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Johnson's best, September 9, 2009

By 

S. Miranda "book lover" (Williamsburg, NM USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Muchacho: A Novel (Hardcover)

Here's the best bang for your buck book-wise! Johnson has outdone herself with Muchacho... and it has earned a place on my top 10 favorite books of all time. Young and old alike will be charmed by Eddie, a character so vivid, his voice will intrude on your thoughts often. Compassion, humor, hope... Muchacho offers it all. Let's hope we haven't heard the last of Eddie Corazon!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read, October 27, 2009

By 

Donna F. Mannon (T or C, NM) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Muchacho: A Novel (Hardcover)

I was so captivated by Muchacho that I read it straight through. Eddie is not just a well develoved character in a book. He is a living, breathing guy who tells us what's on his mind with honesty and humor. I was cheering him on throughout all of his hopes and temptations. Eddie charmed me completely! Muchacho is a must read. For that reason I bought two extra copies to donate to the local high school and public libraries in T or C. Thank goodness for the Miss Beechers and Miss Johnsons of the world!