Seeing off the Johns

By Rene S Perez II
Paperback: $11.95

Two baseball heroes die in a tragic accident. What happens in the rural hometown they left behind.

Description

People in the small town of Greenton mark their lives from that day in late summer when crowds lined the streets to see off high school athletic stars John Robison and John Mijias. That was the day the Johns, as they were known by adoring fans in Greenton, left for state college, and never made it there–or back. The Johns had spent their high school years putting that nowhere losing town on the map with playoff runs in football and state championship bids in baseball. For Concepcion “Chon” Gonzales, the days that the Johns headed out and didn’t return was the first day of his new life. He had waited all his growing up years for a shot at Araceli when one of the Johns, John Mejia, stole her away. Now, while Greenton mourns, while the Johns’ families become actors in a spectacle of grief, while Johns memorabilia is sold in every gas station and convenience store in town, while Araceli has to endure a senior year in the watchful gaze of the whole town, Chon Gonzales makes his slow methodical move on the only girl he’s ever loved, hoping maybe that she won’t notice what he wants.

About the Creators

Rene S Perez II

Rene S. Perez II was born in Kingsville, Texas, and raised in Corpus Christi. He received a BA from the University of Texas and an MFA from Texas State University. He is the winner of the Alfredo Cisneros del Moral Foundation Award and the 2013 NACCS Tejas Award for Fiction for his 2012 short story collection, Along These Highways. He currently teaches high school in Austin.

Reviews

  • "An atmospheric, refreshing read that will resonate with readers from towns both small and large."

    - Kirkus Reviews
  • "Though the context of [Rene] Perez's first novel is Mexican American, Chon's longings are universal, ones every reader can identify with . . . the novel achieves its goal of bringing two appealing teens and their relationship to vivid life."

    - Booklist
  • "Seeing Off the Johns is an absolutely absorbing and deftly crafted novel that clearly establishes author Rene Perez as a master of the YA Fiction genre. Very highly recommended for both school and community library YA Fiction collections."

    - Midwest Book Review
  • "This authentic story of loss is powerful and one that many readers will not forget."

    - School Library Journal

Paperback

  • ISBN 9781941026120
  • Price $11.95
  • Publication Date Nov 03, 2015
  • Trim Size 9 × 6 in
  • Weight 0.6875 lbs
  • Page Count 256
  • Hardcover

  • ISBN 9781941026113
  • Price $16.95
  • Publication Date Nov 03, 2015
  • Trim Size 9 × 6 in
  • Weight 0.9375 lbs
  • Page Count 219
  • Interests

  • Imprint Cinco Puntos Press
  • Audience Children
  • BISAC Category 1 JUV / People & Places / United States / Hispanic & Latino
  • BISAC Category 2 JUV / Social Themes / Dating & Relationships
  • BISAC Category 3 JUV / Social Themes / Friendship
  • Themes Coping with Death, Fiction, Identity / Self Esteem / Confidence, Latinx / Latino / Hispanic, Realistic Fiction, Teen Interest, YA interest
  • Reading Levels

  • Age Range Ages 14 - 18
  • Grade Range Grades 9 - 12
  • Guided Reading Z+
  • Lexile Level 1010
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