Falling Short

Best friends Isaac and Marco enter sixth grade each determined to change — star basketball player Isaac wants to improve his grades to ease tensions at home, while straight-A student Marco is set on earning his father's approval by making the school basketball team. In this hilarious and heartfelt story, Pura Belpré Award-winning author Ernesto Cisneros brings real-world issues and plenty of heart to the story of two close friends who must rely on each other to become the versions of themselves they want to be. With Mexican-American and mixed-heritage characters navigating identity, friendship, and family expectations, this book resonates deeply with bilingual students who see their own cultural experiences reflected on the page, making it a natural fit for dual-language classrooms exploring themes of self-acceptance, perseverance, and what it means to belong.