The Distance Between Us: Young Readers Edition

Reyna starts 8th grade. She’s now a señorita and enrolled in regular English classes. She develops a love for reading and starts borrowing books from the library.

A few months later, she submits a story to a short-story competition, hoping to make Papi proud. Her story is about twins who are separated when their parents divorce. Two weeks later, she wins the competition. Her teacher gives her a ribbon and two tickets to the Queen Mary, a moored cruise ship she hopes to visit with Papi. However, when she tells him about the tickets, he refuses to take her, saying the boat is too far away. Reyna closes herself in her room and starts a new story.

Reyna’s friend Phuong asks her to talk to her crush Luis for her. Reyna tells Luis Phuong is in love with him but he laughs. Looking into Luis’s eyes makes Reyna think of Iguala. She’s also excited when she learns that Luis lives nearby.

Not long later, Reyna runs into Luis in the neighborhood while she’s out getting lighter fluid for Papi. They take a walk and kiss and Reyna returns home without the fluid. Papi is furious and demands to know where she was.