Terry Blas and Claudia Aguirre’s new graphic novel Lifetime Passes introduces the reader to 16 year-old Jackie Chavez, a teen wrestling with a tough family situation—her parents have been deported—and her friends, a collection of mostly bad apples looking out only for themselves. Chavez and friends spend their time at a local Disney World-like amusement park and when Jackie realizes she can’t afford to continue to attend, she and her crew concoct a scheme to get free passes by taking senior citizens from the local retirement home to the park. But this isn’t altruism—the teens learned that the amusement park has an unofficial policy: if a senior dies while visiting the park, everyone with the person gets a free lifetime pass. But after Phyllis, an elegant no-nonsense senior with a surprising past, and Allen, an equally elegant and genial elderly Black man, volunteer to go on the trips, Jackie begins to regret the whole cynical plan—especially after learning about Phyllis' history and deep connections to the amusement park. In this seven-page excerpt, the reader is introduced to Jackie and her friends as they hangout at the park. Lifetime Passes by Terry Blas; illustrated by Claudia Aguirre published by Surely Books will be published November 23, 2021. Text copyright © 2021 Terry Blas; Illustrations copyright © 2021 Claudia Aguirre.
