Matt de la Peña's debut novel, Ball Don't Lie, was published by Delacorte in September of 2005. The book will soon be a major motion picture starring Ludacris, Nick Cannon, Emelie de Ravin, Grayson Boucher, and Rosanna Arquette (Night and Day Pictures).

In August of 2008 de la Peña's second novel, Mexican WhiteBoy, was released by Delacorte, and his short story “Last Red Light Before We’re There” appeared in the anthology Does This Book Make Me Look Fat. Read more...

Recent News





We Were Here
has been named an ALA/YALSA Best Book for Young Adults




We Were Here has been named an ALA/YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers




Mexican WhiteBoy
one of seven nominees for Arizona's Grand Canyon Reader Award.





Ball Don't Lie will be a major motion picture. See the trailer.






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We Were Here
From the streets of Stockton, CA to the beaches of Venice, all the way down to the Mexican Border, WE WERE HERE follows a journey of self-discovery by a boy who is trying to forgive himself in an unforgiving world.

Mexican WhiteBoy
Sixteen-year-old Danny searches for his identity amidst the confusion of being biracial while spending the summer with his Mexican family. MEXICAN WHITEBOY is set in the back alleys and rundown baseball fields of National City, CA.

Ball Don't Lie
BALL DON'T LIE is Matt de la Pena's breakout urban masterpiece, which takes place where the street and the court meet and where a boy can be anything if he puts his mind to it.