Boys of the Beast

by Monica Zepeda

Overview

Three cousins. Four days. One car. This smart and fearless road—trip novel is perfect for fans of David Levithan, Benjamin Alire Saenz, or Meg Medina.

THE ROUTE. Seventeen hundred miles from Portland, Oregon, to Albuquerque, New Mexico.

THE BEAST. Grandma Lupe's 1988 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe.

THE BOYS. Three strangers who also happen to be cousins:

Matt. Evangelical Christian. Earnest. Film nerd. Carrying a dream to make movies—despite the future his father has planned for him.

Ethan. Jewish. Gay. Sci—fi nerd. Carrying a phone that contains his entire relationship with Levi—unless they finally get to meet IRL on this trip.

Oscar. Stoner. Smartass. Too cool to be a nerd. Carrying a letter that haunts him—no matter how hard he tries to escape it.

THE END... just might be a new beginning.

This powerful voyage in three voices marks the brilliant debut of Monica Zepeda.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781643790954
Publisher:	Lee & Low Books
Publication date:	04/12/2022
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.30(d)
Lexile:	HL640L (what's this?)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Monica Zepeda is a Southern California native who spent her teen years in the desert wilds of Joshua Tree. She moved to Los Angeles, London, and Arizona before settling down permanently in L.A. Along the way, she's worked as a bookseller, produced reality television shows, and written plays, feature films, and video games. Monica now serves as a teen librarian and lives near the beach with her husband and their unbelievably cute cats. You can find her on the web at monicazepeda.com, on Twitter at @MZWrites, and on Instagram at @MZWrites2.

Read an Excerpt

Ethan

Oscar pushes the shopping cart like a maniac. He's swerving around guys in button—downs and moms in yoga pants. He makes choo—choo noises as he races down an aisle. He's going to get us kicked out, but it's hilarious.

Matt's in the aisle with packing tape, pretending like he doesn't know us. But then Oscar slides the cart next to him. "Whaddup, cuz?"

Matt's trying not to lose it. I see the anger in his face draining as he takes a couple of deep breaths. Matt is one very repressed guy. Either he's going to have an ulcer by the time he's twenty, or he's going to end up a tool like Uncle Dennis.

He puts a couple of rolls of packing tape in the cart on top of the folded boxes we'd picked up earlier. "Okay, we're ready to check out."

"Then what?" Oscar asks.

"Then we go back to the house." Matt says it slow, as though Oscar is unbelievably stupid.

"Come on, bro, we've got the car, we should do something."

I nod. "Something other than sit in the den and watch that fucking Disney movie."

"You said a bad word!" Oscar singsongs. I don't know what he's on right now, but he should take it more often. He's actually fun to be around.

Matt takes another deep breath. "The pizza will be delivered soon, and everyone will be waiting for us—"

"How are you getting the car to New Mexico, anyway?" asks Oscar.

"I'm driving it there."

"By yourself?" Oscar tilts his head like Ruby does when she's about to ask for a favor.

"Yes. I have a physics class at the community college that starts after New Year's. I'm leaving tomorrow."

"Bro," Oscar says, "we should go with you."

Oscar

"We?" Matt blinks, but Ethan looks like he got lost in Costco looking for food samples and ended up in an aisle surrounded by tampons.

"We?" Matt repeats.

"Yeah. We." I am not at all fazed by their lack of enthusiasm.

Editorial Reviews

"Boys of the Beast zips easily along, just like the 1988 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe that carries its three cousins to their satisfying destination." — Foreword Reviews

"[A] refreshing, smoothly written debut." — Booklist

"Starting off as mere character sketches, the three Latinx cousins (Matt has a White father) soon develop into fully endearing heroes thanks to Zepeda's deft, potent writing. Alternating short chapters from each teen's perspective packs nuance and depth in this quick read splashed with melodrama and humor...Like a missive from the soul. " — Kirkus Reviews

"[A] sure—footed debut...As the cousins go from mutual wariness to becoming a close—knit trio of co—conspirators and confidantes, their discussions, punctuated with fart jokes and f—bombs, are thoughtful explorations of identity; mental health issues, including self—harm; romance; and acceptance." — Publishers Weekly

"Boys of the Beast will hook you with its vibrant characters right away, and suddenly you'll be on a road trip you never want to leave! A truly great read." — Bill Konigsberg, award—winning author of The Bridge

"A thrilling, funny, and profound journey to that magical place where differences turn into the sparks of friendship." — Francisco X. Stork, award—winning author of Illegal

Best Children's Books of the Year 2023 — Bank Street College of Education
Black—Eyed Susan Award Nominee 2025 — Maryland Association of School Librarians
Blue Hen Book Award Nominee 2026 — Delaware Library Association
International Latino Book Award Winner 2023 — Empowering Latino Futures
Los Angeles Public Library Best Books 2023 — Los Angeles Public Library
Rhode Island Latino Books Award Nominee 2024 — Rhode Island Latino Arts

From the Publisher