Spare Parts by Joshua Davis

Davis tells the story of four Latino teens  from a disadvantaged community and high school in West Phoenix who compete in a national underwater robotics competition in the college division.  With a budget a fraction of MIT's, the teens design "Stinky," a funny-looking but remarkably effective underwater robot built with such materials as PVC pipe, string, a balloon and a milk container.  Confronted daily with issues of poverty, violence, and, in one case, the reality of being illegal, Oscar, Luis, Cristian and Lorenzo combine their various talents with the support of two dedicated teachers to qualify for the championship in Santa Barbara.  Alternately inspirational and sobering, Spare Parts is a compelling story.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

This award-winning novel by Benjamin Alire Saenz is told through the eyes of a 15-year-old Mexican American living in El Paso, Texas.  Ari, short for Angel Aristotle Mendoza, relates two years of his life, beginning with his meeting Dante Quintana at the local swimming pool.  The boys are opposites--Dante is upbeat, extroverted, and intellectual. He wears his heart on his sleeve, kisses his parents, and can cry about an injured bird.  Ari is aloof and prone to anger as he struggles with communicating with his father, a Vietnam vet, and learning more about his brother, Bernardo, who is in prison. He keeps all of his emotions bottled up inside.  Both boys are lonely and feel isolated from their culture and are struggling to define who they are.  The novel is one of exploration of the teens' deepening relationship.  Two widely separated but significant events force them to evaluate their feelings about and trust in each other.  Saenz's novel is about trust, pain, commitment, communication, and honesty.  This is a slow-paced but ultimately satisfying exploration of friendship, love, and acceptance.