Joshua Davis & Reyna Grande
Spare Parts (Young Readers’ Edition)
(Macmillan, May 2023)
Read the Kirkus Reviews Review of SPARE PARTS (YOUNG READERS’ EDITION)
A riveting true story about dreams, dedication, and an amazing robot named Stinky, based on Joshua Davis’ New York Times bestseller and now adapted for young readers by bestselling Mexican American author Reyna Grande.
In 2004, four undocumented Mexican teenagers arrived at the national underwater robotics championship at the University of California, Santa Barbara. No one had ever told Oscar, Cristian, Luis, or Lorenzo that they would amount to much—until two inspiring high school science teachers convinced the boys to enter the competition. Up against some of the best collegiate engineers in the country, this team of underdogs from Phoenix, Arizona, scraped together spare parts and a few small donations to astound not only the competition’s judges but themselves, too.
Adapted by Reyna Grande—author of the acclaimed memoir The Distance Between Us about her experience as an undocumented child immigrant—this young readers’ edition of Joshua Davis’s New York Times bestseller showcases these students’ ingenuity and courage in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Timely and empowering, Spare Parts is an accessible introduction to STEM, immigration, and the reality of the American Dream.
Praise for Spare Parts (Young Readers’ Edition)
“This adaptation of Davis’ adult book of the same name shifts focus among the four boys and offers explicit statements of what each gains from these experiences, making for an accessible and relatable read for the young target audience who may be unfamiliar with the team’s 2004 victory.”
— The Bulletin, starred review
“An underdog story makes for high drama in this relatable take on the source material.”
—Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Spare Parts
“A gratifying human interest story that calls attention to the plight and promise of America’s undocumented youth.”
–Library Journal
“A feel-good tale of scrappy underdogs beating long odds… A great American story.”
–Peter Carlson, The Washington Post
“A triumphant read.”
–The Toronto Star
Read the Kirkus Reviews review of SPARE PARTS (YOUNG READERS’ EDITION)
Read the Publishers Weekly review of SPARE PARTS
Read the Library Journal review of SPARE PARTS
Read The Washington Post review of SPARE PARTS
Read the Booklist review of SPARE PARTS
Listen to Joshua Davis and three of the people featured in his book on The Diane Rehm Show
Read The Toronto Star review of SPARE PARTS
Joshua Davis is a contributing editor at Wired, cofounder of Epic magazine, and the author of The Underdog, a memoir about his experiences as an arm wrestler, backward runner, and matador. In 2014, he was nominated for a National Magazine Award for feature writing. He has also written for The New Yorker and other periodicals, and his writing is anthologized in the 2012 edition of Best American Science and Nature Writing as well as in the 2006, 2007, and 2009 editions of Best Technology Writing. The movie Spare Parts is based on his reporting. He lives in San Francisco, California.