The Improbable Rise of Paco Jones

Gr 8 Up—Paco Jones is a teen stuck between two worlds and doesn't fit into either one. As a half-white, half-Mexican boy attending an elite private school his parents sacrifice to send him to, Paco is bullied because of his race, clothes, and food and is quite the loner. Until one day, a note is passed and an unlikely friendship is formed with a girl and her boyfriend. They take Paco from social outcast to stud status in an evening, and during this transition he sees the truth about those around him, and this in turn helps him realize who he wants to be. In the spirit of S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders and John Green's Looking for Alaska, this is a coming-of-age story about a young man who has been given an opportunity and almost loses it by caving in to peer pressure. Paco has no real friends at this school and takes a dare, which comes with consequences. Paco not only faces them head-on but also builds his self-confidence. The secondary characters of importance are the adults in this story—his principal, his teacher Mr. Holliday, and his parents—yet Naomi, his crush, and Trent impact Paco's life in ways that will forever change him.