Falls into the precocious kids coming of age genre. I struggle with this genre because it‘s hard to pull off while still seeming genuine. Sal, Sam, and Fito are great characters and so is Sal‘s adoptive father Vicente. The book shines as they patiently help each other navigate hard times, but Sal‘s narration reads more like a message Saenz is trying to get out than a real teenage boy‘s perspective. Sweet, if heavy-handed, I still give it a pick.