Patron Saints of Nothing ~ Randy Ribay

Can I just nerd out for a second on the power of books? Until yesterday, when I picked up this fabulous title, I am ashamed to admit that I had no idea about the violent and inhumane war on drugs in the Philippines. But through this brilliantly captivating young adult novel, my eyes were opened to the brutality that exists in the country today. 

The power of literature, even fictional stories, to provide a window into the lives of others never ceases to amaze me. In this novel, high school senior Jay Reguero travels  alone to his family’s hometown in the Philippines during his spring break after learning that his beloved cousin, Jun, was murdered.

Feeling immense guilt about losing touch with Jun several years prior to his death, Jay is determined to get a more complete story of what happened to him, despite his family’s unwillingness to share any details about how or why Jun was killed. But when Jay arrives in the Philippines, he learns that he is not particularly welcome there, and instead of getting answers, he is left with more questions.

This novel is an emotional and gripping mystery that will engage and educate readers. However, it is not a quick or easy read, and I would only recommend it to my mature seventh or eighth graders.

Maturity: 3/4

This novel is ideal for age 13+. There are references to issues of sex trafficking and use and selling of drugs, though there are no graphic descriptions in the novel.

At the end of the novel, the author provides links for readers who are interested in doing further research on the issues facing Filipinos today. 

Pages: 381

Lexile: 840L

Lexile is a score that helps educators and parents match students with an appropriate text. A Lexile score is a measure of both a child’s reading ability and a text difficulty. However, Lexile does not take into account the content of a novel. So, pairing readers with a text is a complex process, and knowledge of a novel’s themes and plot is necessary to make a high-quality recommendation.

If you are curious about the grade-level equivalent to Lexile scores, check out the conversion chart here!

Happy Reading!

♥ Kara & Riley