Books with author Malin Alegria

In Dos Rios, Texas, life is all about borders -- and what happens when you cross the line.Nothing is simple in a border town like Dos Rios, in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Even for high school students Fabiola Garza and her younger sister Alexis, whose parents run a local Tex-Mex restaurant, Dos Rios is full of borders -- where you should go, who your friends should be, which boy you should date.Dos Rios is also full of opportunities, but it's a town divided, between the haves and the have-nots, the Whites and the Mexicans-Americans, the Texans and the Mexicans, the legal and illegal. But through it all, the Garza sisters have each other. Water can be crossed, but blood is the ultimate borderline -- no matter what.

For as long as Estrella Alvarez can remember, her mother has been planning to throw her an elaborate quinceañera for her fifteenth birthday -- complete with a mariachi band, cheesy decorations, and a hideous dress. Just thinking about her quince makes Estrella cringe. But her mother insists that it's tradition. Estrella has other things on her mind, anyway -- like dating Speedy. Does it matter that her new friends -- and her parents -- would never approve of a guy from el barrio? Estrella's almost fifteen and wants to start making her own decisions. But is she ready to find out who she is -- and who she really wants to be?

"Do you guys have Internet?"..."How about TiVo?"..."You do get American TV?" The house was dark. Wait a minute -- do they even have electricity? Even though Sofi Mendoza was born in Mexico, she's spent most of her life in California -- the closest she gets to a south-of-the-border experience is eating at Taco Bell. But when Sofi and her friends sneak off for a weekend in Tijuana, she gets in real trouble. To Sofi's shock, the border patrol says that her green card is counterfeit. Until her parents can sort out the paperwork and legal issues, Sofi is stuck in Mexico. In the meantime, Sofi's parents arrange for her to stay with long-lost relatives in rural Baja. It's bad enough that Sofi has to miss senior prom and even graduation, but her aunt, uncle, and cousins live on a ranch with no indoor plumbing! As the weeks pass, though, she finds herself adapting to her surroundings. Sofi starts helping out on the ranch, getting along with her bratty cousins, and she even meets a guy with more potential than anyone from school. Through the unexpected crash course in her heritage, Sofi comes to appreciate that she has a home on both sides of the border.

In Dos Rios, Texas, things aren't always as they seem.Santiago might be in over his head this time. . . Santiago's grades are slipping again, but he's determined to prove to his family that he can be successful at something, even if it's not school. When a fancy new taco chain moves in across the street from the Garza family restaurant, Santiago is inspired-- he'll open a food business of his own!Unfortunately, running a business is not as much fun as Santiago thought it would be. Fabi and Alexis keep interfering, customers aren't easily won over, and even worse, El Payaso is back in Santiago's life-- and just waiting for him to mess up.

In Dos Rios, Texas, life is all about borders -- and what happens when you cross the line. A fresh new series in the tradition of Bluford High explores what it's like to grow up on the edge.\A quinceanera for the record books?If Fabiola Garza had her way, her quinceanera would be as simple and as non-traditional as possible-just two airline tickets to New York City and her best friend in tow. Sadly, things hardly ever go Fabi's way.After mean girl Melodee lays down a quinceanera challenge in front of the entire school, Fabi is forced to upgrade her party plans. Melodee is rich and popular-her quinceanera will be effortlessly epic. Fabi is at a loss as to how to make her party remotely as fun and fabulous as Melodee's is sure to be. Younger sister Alexis steps in with a scheme to get Fabi on the TV show Quince Dreams-but Fabi isn't convinced she won't end up in a quince nightmare instead.

Estrella Alvarez is turning fifteen, and she's not happy about it. For as long as she can remember, her mother has been planning an elaborate quinceañera, complete with a mariachi band, cheesy decorations, and a hideous dress. Estrella is so over it. She'd much rather have an understated dinner party at a posh restaurant downtown -- that way, she can invite her two best friends from private school, who have no idea Estrella lives in the barrio. Even though Estrella tries to keep her home life a secret from her school friends, things get even more complicated when she falls for Speedy, a cholo whom her new friends -- and her parents -- would definitely disapprove of. Caught between her family's wishes and the allure of her sophisticated friends, Estrella is forced to make some tough choices. This funny, touching book follows one girl's struggle to figure out who she really wants to be.

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Fabi is tired of everyone telling her who she should be and how she should act. She's tired of trying to make everyone else happy. Fabi is determined to have a quinceanera that will put Melodee Stanton and her prissy squad to shame. She will have the biggest quince this town has ever seen--even if she has to beg, borrow, or steal to get it.

In Dos Rios, Texas, things aren't always as they seem.Alexis Garza has music in her blood. She's certain that one day, she'll be leaving the border town of Dos Rios, Texas behind for a glamorous life of singing stardom. Until then, however, she'll have to content herself with belting her heart out at voice classes, going to high school mariachi band practice, and helping out at the Graza family restaurant.Alexis's ordinary life takes a turn for the extraordinary when she meets the swoon-worthy lead singer of a rival high school's mariachi band. His singing (and his smile) make Alexis melt. There's one small problem-- this suave singer doesn't seem to know that Alexis exists. She's determined to make herself heard-- no matter what the cost.

In Dos Rios, Texas, things aren't always as they seem.Alexis Garza has music in her blood. She's certain that one day, she'll be leaving the border town of Dos Rios, Texas behind for a glamorous life of singing stardom. Until then, however, she'll have to content herself with belting her heart out at voice classes, going to high school mariachi band practice, and helping out at the Graza family restaurant.Alexis's ordinary life takes a turn for the extraordinary when she meets the swoon-worthy lead singer of a rival high school's mariachi band. His singing (and his smile) make Alexis melt. There's one small problem-- this suave singer doesn't seem to know that Alexis exists. She's determined to make herself heard-- no matter what the cost.