Ashley Hope Pérez’s Debut YA Novel What Can’t Wait
Tells the Story of One Girl’s Search for Independence
PUBLICATION DATE:
March 2011
Media contacts:
Lindsay Matvick
Senior Publicist
800-328-4929, x385
[email protected]
Elizabeth Dingmann
Publicist
800-328-4929, x209
[email protected]
In a community where dropping out of high school is the social norm, breaking
the mold is anything but easy. But for one teen, it might be her only ticket out.
Written by Ashley Hope Pérez and published by Carolrhoda Lab™, a new line of
distinctive fiction for young adults from Carolrhoda Books, What Can’t Wait
provides an example of one teen finding independence and her voice in order to
achieve her goals.
For Marisa Moreno’s family, making ends meet is more important than making it
to college. Her brother doesn’t work, her sister got pregnant when she was in high
school, and her father is a mean man who barely speaks any English. When
Marisa’s brother-in-law is injured at work, Marisa is expected to babysit for her
niece, work long hours to help support her family, and still find time to juggle her
AP Calculus class and her little, if any, social life.
To Marisa, there is more to life than just her family. She wants to go to college,
but most importantly she just wants to get out of Houston. With little support from
her family but full support from her AP Calculus teacher, Marisa decides to go out
on a limb and apply to the University of Texas-Austin’s engineering program.
However, when things in Marisa’s life seem to spiral out of control, not even the
love and support from her new boyfriend Alan and best friend Brenda are enough
for her. Will Marisa be able to please her family and still satisfy her own needs
without being stretched too thin? Will an acceptance letter from UT be her only
ticket out of Houston?
What Can’t Wait
Written by
Ashley Hope Pérez
$17.95 Hardcover, Jacketed
$13.46 eBook
Ages 12 and Up
HC: 978-0-7613-6155-8
EB: 978-0-7613-7613-2
240 Pages ● 5 ¼” x 7 ½”
To Purchase:
Visit your local bookstore
or order by phone or online.
800-328-4929
www.lernerbooks.com
Through the voice of a strong Latina teen, Ashley Hope Pérez describes a
community where staying put is easier than leaving. In this coming of age
narrative, What Can’t Wait demonstrates one girl’s search for confidence and
acceptance as she struggles to support her family while following her dreams.
Visit www.carolrhodalab.com for a discussion guide and free downloads.
Available for review at NetGalley! Sign up for your free account and
download your copy of What Can’t Wait at www.netgalley.com.
About the Author
Ashley Hope Pérez grew up in Texas and served in the Teach for America Corps
in a neighborhood similar to the one depicted in her debut novel. She has worked
as a translator and is completing a PhD in comparative literature. She lives in
Indiana with her husband and their son. She is working on her next novel.
About the Publisher
Carolrhoda Lab™ is dedicated to distinctive, provocative, boundary-pushing
fiction for teens and their sympathizers. Carolrhoda Lab™ probes and examines
the young-adult condition one novel at a time, affording YA authors and readers
Online:
an opportunity to explore and experiment with thoughts, ideas, and paradigms in
Blog:
the human condition. Adolescence is an experience we share and a condition from
carolrhoda.blogspot.com
which some of us never quite recover. All of us at Carolrhoda Lab™ are proud to
proclaim our lifelong adolescence and our commitment to publishing exceptional
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twitter.com/CarolrhodaLab fiction about the teenage experience.
Carolrhoda Books is a division of Lerner Publishing Group, which creates highFacebook:
quality fiction and nonfiction titles for children and young adults. For further
Carolrhoda Books
information, visit Lerner Publishing Group’s website at www.lernerbooks.com.