Cisneros, Ernesto. Falling Short. New York: Quill Tree Books, 2022. 304 pp. Grades 4–7.
Next-door neighbors Isaac and Marco are best friends despite their differences. Isaac is older, in Grade 7, and is a basketball player who sometimes isn’t too enthusiastic about his homework. Marco is younger, in Grade 4, Jewish, and likes to spend a lot of time reading. The boys bond over their shared Latinx backgrounds and experiences with divorced parents. As they head into the new school year, more changes occur in their worlds. Marco hopes to make the basketball team, and Isaac hopes to improve his grades. Together they support each other through the trials of middle school and life outside. This story is a look at how to support your friends even through changes and differences that you may not understand—and that together, neither one of them falls short. Reviewed by Meredith Ramella.
