54 pages • 1 hour read
Falling Short
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
Falling Short by Ernesto Cisneros was first published in 2022. This middle grade realistic novel tells the story of best friends, Isaac Castillo and Marco Honeyman, two sixth graders who each feel they need to change to make their parents happy. Isaac, a star basketball player, wants to improve his grades, and Marco, a talented scholar, wants to join the school basketball team. Despite adverse circumstances and a lack of natural aptitude, each perseveres until they achieve their goals. As they struggle with school bullies and problems at home, the two rely on one another for support and to make their dreams a reality. Falling Short received the 2022 International Latino Book Awards for Best Youth Latino Focused Chapter Book and Best Youth Chapter Fiction Book.
This study guide refers to the 2022 Quill Tree Books hardcover edition.
Content Warning: The source text and this guide contain depictions of bullying and substance use disorder.
Plot Summary
Isaac Castillo and Marco Honeyman are best friends and next-door neighbors beginning their first year of middle school. Both boys live with their mothers; Isaac’s mother and father recently separated, and Marco’s parents have been separated for some time.
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