El Paso

Texas Fridays

by Sam Moussavi

El Dorado High School tight end Armando Salguera's NFL dreams are threatened when his estranged father sends word he will be crossing the border, back into Armando's life.

208 pages, ebook

Published December 15, 2016

Reviews

[Quinn Dittmann]

Student Name: Quinn Dittmann Date Submitted: May 14, 2019
Book Title: El Paso Lexile:750


Personal Response: Personally I thought this was the best book of the whole entire “Texas Fridays” series. The book was full of excitement, and there was something new on every page. I love football books, and this was one of the best ones I've ever read.


Plot Summary: This book was about a 15-year-old high schooler by the name of Armando. He was going to be this year's star on the football team. He had practiced with his own personal trainer all summer long. The day of his first practice, he really showed off his tight end skills to the coaches and the other players. He continues to do this the whole first week of practice. His girlfriend Anna didn't like the fact the Armando wasn't spending a lot of time with her and that he better take her over football. When Armando was young his father had left him and went back to Mexico where he had originally lived. He had gotten news from his grandmother that his father had wanted to see him, and Armando wanted nothing to do with him. He was overwhelmed with all this stuff going on, and he and Anna soon broke up. That day after practice, his dad confronted him by the school. Armando wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. His father later went to his first football game to watch his son play. Within a few weeks, his father had died from cancer. Armando was drafted into the NFL by the Kansas City, Chiefs, and fulfilled his dreams.


Recommendation: I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves football. This book would be very good for you if you like a book that has a lot of action as well. I would also recommend this book to you if you like to read about how a person works hard to fulfill their dreams.

[Bailey Folk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Name: Bailey Folk

Book title: Texas Fridays: El Paso

Personal Response
In my own opinion, Texas Fridays: El Paso is a good book. I can relate to it because the main character plays football. He is different from me because he is actually a good player. It's a good book that shows what life could be if you didn't have a father figure in your life. The main character realizes that in order to do well in life you have to put the time and effort into it.

Plot Summary
Armando Salguero is a junior at El Dorado High School in El Paso, Texas. He wanted to be the best tight end there ever was. Going to the NFL was one of his top priorities. When he was young his dad left him and didn't ever come back until 15 years later. Armando had put in the time over the offseason and improved a lot. He was practicing grate and everything was going well until his father gave notice that he would be returning to El Paso. Once Armando herd this it messed up everything in his life. His girlfriend and he broke up and never got back together. His dad returning made him not do as good in football. His dad died and he didn't even care.

Recommendation
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a short book to read fast. It is a good book for people who like football. I think the audience is pushed towards boys age 13-18 because it is a good book showing that when someone leaves you for a long time, it is hard to bring them back in your life. It's an easy book that is very good and I would suggest it to a lot of people.

[Muluken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Name: Muluken Rucks

Book title: Texas Fridays: El Paso

Personal Response:
I like this book because of the way it was written. I can sense the author's character’s unique personality. That is all due to how he described the events as well as the dialogue between the characters.

Plot Summary:
In this book, the main character Armando is a pretty good tight end at El Dorado High School. In El Paso, Texas he hangs out with some of his jock-y friends and has fun as he works to be the best he can be at football. Armando really puts in the work and hopes that he will eventually make it to the NFL. His talent and mindset are recognized and Armando does great with football. However, his motivation is lost after Armando’s father comes back into his life.

Recommendations:
I would recommend this book to any person that wants a good, easy read. It's obviously about sports and I think the author does a great job of keeping the reader interested. This book does have some possibly offensive explicit language. If you are easily offended, I recommend you not read it then.

[Jordan Lemke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a high school junior named Armondo Salguera. He plays tight end at El Dorado High School in El Paso, Texas. It’s a book about Armondo’s dad coming back across the border to come back into Armondo’s life. The main question that the book answers is will Armondo let his dad’s return get in the way of his dream of playing in the NFL?

This book is very well written and I like how it goes in-depth about how good Armondo is and how much work he put in the offseason. Armondo is like any typical teenager that plays for their high school team. He and his quarterback Freddie have a special bond together. Armondo is a better blocker than most of the linemen and can catch better than the wide receivers he is also tall. Armondo was ready for the first game of the season until the starting left tackle goes down with a torn ACL. His coach asks Armondo to take over his spot. He debates it for a while and said that he would do it for the team. He makes it very clear to his coach that he wants to go back to tight end the following year. A chapter later Armondo’s Abuela invites all of the family over for some controversial news. Armondo’s dad, Oswaldo, is coming back across the border to visit Armondo since he is dying from cancer. Oswaldo makes a deal with a man to get him across the border to see his son. They meet again after 15 years of silence. Armondo doesn’t want anything to do with him. They do not have a very good relationship. Oswaldo ends up dying and Armondo makes it to the NFL as a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs just like his idol Tony Gonzalez.

The theme of this book is don’t let things get in your way of conquering your dreams. I would recommend this book for anyone who likes reading about football stories. I liked this book because it gave me a reason to never give up. I didn’t like how it jumped back and forth between Armondo and Oswaldo. Also, Oswaldo’s journey was kind of confusing. I feel like it could have used more details. A good Lexile range for this book would be around 1000 or higher.

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personal Response:
I enjoyed this book because it is very fun to read because it mixes everyday life in high school with football. The book has a lot of plot twists while being a short book. I also liked the book because football is my favorite sport.

Plot Summary:
The book starts off at a park in El Paso, Texas. The main character, Armando, is working out with his cousin, Raul. Armando has put in a lot of work over the summer going into his junior year of high school. He gained 15 pounds in muscle and got much faster. His goal for the year is to become the starting tight end for his high school football team. Armando has bigger goals than just that. He wants to make it to the NFL. After they get done practicing, Armando's mother tells him that his grandmother is having a party for something, but the surprise is a secret. Armando agrees to go. When he gets there he finds his whole family there. His grandma announces the return of Armando's long lost father, Oswaldo. Oswaldo abandoned him and his mother when Armando was very young. Armando gets angry because he doesn't want to see his father because it would get in the way of his football career. Oswaldo finds out that he has cancer and his final wish is to see his son again. He abandoned him when he was 2 for a hit man job in Mexico. The journey wasn't easy, but he made his way into America, but wanted to wait a few days before going to see his family. In practice, El Paso's starting left tackle gets hurt and the coaches want Armando to play the role. He refuses because this could interfere with his dreams of making it to the NFL as a tight end. The next day, he agrees to make the position switch. After practice that day he finds his father outside the locker room saying that he wants to talk to him. Armando gives him 5 minutes, but doesn't listen to anything that he says out of anger. Finally, Armando invites him to his football game that week, but says that will be the last time Oswaldo gets to see Armando. Armando excels at left tackle in that game and knows Oswaldo is there because the ticket from the school was gone. Later the next week, Armando's grandmother let him know that Oswaldo died of cancer. Armando ended up going to the NFl after college, getting drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round.

Characterization:
Armando becomes more physically fit throughout the book, but he keeps his same thought on his father. He never opens up to Oswaldo or fully listens to him. Armando grows into a NFL caliber football player.

Recommandation:
I recommend this book to high schoolers who like drama and football. It is a easy read and fun at the same time. High schoolers would like this book because it takes place in a high school and there is football involved.

[James Barley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is amazing if you love good endings. My favorite part of the book is when Armando has lots of things going on and he does his best to make everything right. Another part the was good was when he has to chose if he wants to be a left tackle and sacrifice for the team or be a tight end and complete his goal. I like how you made the Armando a dynamic character because he going through lots of emotions throughout the story. I also liked how you made Oswaldo a static character because he only wants to see his son and that's his mission and when he does, all he wants is to spend time with his son. I liked how you used lots on imagery, a good part is when you say "'What is the place?' Armando asked, nodding to the old house. 'This,' he said, before a violent set of coughs slashed his throat. 'This is the house your mother had you in.". I liked that quote because it just tells me what is happening and then I can see it in my head of what happened. Something I learned from this book was to never speak outloud when thinking in your head, and don't be afraid to sacrifice for the team.

[Antoni p2 K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Name:Antoni Kloczkowski. Book: Texas Fridays El Paso. Personal response: I would give this book an overall 3.5/5 because I like the way it is written but at the same time it isn’t one of the best books I have read.The narration in the book is really the only reason the book is getting a higher rating because it is uniquely written and in my reading experience I haven’t seen this kind of writing.

The main protagonist Armando, is a highschool junior with a goal of being in the NFL. He is very determined and set on his goal that he has made his coaches and teammates quite impressed.The setting in the book is taken place in El Paso,Texas where it is very close to the Mexican border.While Armando is training for his dream, an unexpected turn of events happen to him that completely set him and his goal off track.

I would recommend this book to those who like sports, action, and drama.This book fits all three categories and is best suited for sports enthusiasts, but is also a great entree level book for high school and late middle school students.

[Emanuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

El Paso of the book series Texas Fridays written by, Sam Mousavvi is about high school football star Armando Durante's problems not only off, but on the football field. When Armando comes off a hard offseason full of workouts, he does great in practice as a tight end. All was well until the starting left tackle tore his ACL and is out for the season. Armando's coaches ask him to move to left tackle even though his dream is to play tight end in the NFL, Armando then has problems with his girlfriend and also hears that his father is coming back to El Paso after 15 years.

Texas Fridays, El Paso is surely worth your time. If you are into books with sports drama, you will truly love this book. The writer makes a good job of describing what's happening in the story so the reader can visualize it in their head. This book is wonderfully written.

[Jaxson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Texas Fridays first caught my eye, displayed on top of the shelf in the library. It is a very interesting book with the name character being named Armando. Armando had one vision and dream in life and it was to make it to the NFL. In order to achieve his dream he worked as hard as he possible can. Armando’s father left him when he was just an infinite, which was a tough burden on both him, his abuela and his mom. Another problem that occurs is with his girlfriend, which he’s been with for 7 years. Can Armando balance both on field and off field instances?


I felt this was the best book in the Texas Fridays series because it was a lot more exciting when the main character is dominant. I personally would much rather have a superstar like Armando, instead of a benchwarmer become the starter and doing okay.

[Gavin Jones]

I thought this was a really good book with a lot of detail. If you play or like football you will like this book. It has a good story to it and the last 20 pages of the book in my opinion is the best part of the whole book. It has relationship issues included in the book, also gives a perspective of what it's like to live in a town like El Paso.

[Chance S]

this is a great book for those that have personal problems and that like sports

[Jan O]

I liked the book it was a good book. I chose this book because i like football

[Cody Dorman]

Armando Salguera is a tight end at his high school in El Paso, Texas. Going into his junior year he is expected to be the best player on a state championship team. His dream is to make it to the NFL, but his dream comes to a bump in the road when Armando's father informs his grandma that he's coming home after leaving Armando and his mother 15 years ago. Will his father ruin Armando's chances of making it the NFL?