Disney Books - Sneakerella: Novelization

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ISBN 978-1-368-07935-8

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N OT ALL FAIRY TALES BEGIN in a land far, far away. This one begins in Queens, New York.

It is home to many kings and queens, although they dont all wear crowns. It is a land of possibility and opportunitythough for many these dreams may feel as far away as a castle in the clouds.

Once upon a pair of sneakers, there lived a special boy who was full of kindness and creativity. He grew up believing in the idea that the perfect pair of kicks could make him fly, make him soar. With his head full of sketches and his heart full of hope, he held tight to these dreams no matter how hard the world around him tried to keep his feet on the ground.

El Morales lived in Astoria, a neighborhood in Queens, New York, just across the river from Manhattan. Queens didnt have shimmering skyscrapers and tall apartment buildings like Manhattan. The streets in Queens were lined with small stores, restaurants, and bakeries with a blend of different cultures and color. El had lived all his seventeen years there, and he loved the neighborhood. His mom had opened a sneaker store called Laces, and they lived above the store in a walk-up apartment. Laces was beloved by everyone, mostly because of Els mom, Rosie. She had a magical way of picking the right sneaker for the right person. Maybe it was in his blood, but ever since he was a little kid, El had been obsessed with sneakers. He had dreams of creating his own sneaker line and was always drawing and thinking about sneakers.

Unfortunately, Els mother got very sick and died. Her sneaker store was now run by Els stepfather, Trey. In the apartment above the store, El lived with his stepfather and stepbrothers, Stacy and Zelly. They were around the same age as El, but that was about the only thing the boys had in common.

El missed his mom and wished his stepfamily understood his passion for designing sneakers. When his mom was alive, she had encouraged him and given him sketchbooks and materials to create unique sneakers.

Things were different now.

El raced down the stairs to the store and climbed into the front window space to put the finishing touches on the window display. He straightened a mannequins hand to hold a bunch of shoelaces as if the sneakers trailing behind were dogs on leashes. The creative window displays had always been his thing. Lost in his dreams of dancing with his own stylized sneakers, El didnt hear his stepfather calling him.

El! Trey called again. His stepfather stuck his head through the small door that opened to the store. El, you spent enough time on the display. He mumbled to himself, Ive got so much going on right now, I honestly dont know how to get you to focus. He gathered up some papers and boxes around the store. The shelves need dusting, and straighten up in the back, he said to El. And clean up the counter with all your mess, please.

Wait, El said, following him. Dont I have the day off?

He looked around at the empty store. Lately, there had hardly been any customers coming in. Since Trey had taken over the ordering, the store didnt stock nearly as many sneakers as it used to. Now there was just one wall of sneakers. Trey was stocking mostly basic shoes and didnt have a sense of what worked for the neighborhood.

The only people in the store were Stacy and Zelly. Stacy was focused, typing on his laptop, and didnt raise his eyes from his screen. Looking like a middle-aged man heading to work, he was dressed in a button-down shirt, khaki pants, and boat shoes. Zelly was wearing his black martial arts uniform and practicing judo in front of a mirror.

I thought Stacy and Zelly are working today, El said. He shot Stacy a cold, hard look. Why didnt his stepbrothers ever do any work around the store? Why couldnt they help out?

Yeah, Im totally booked, Stacy said, pushing his round wire-frame glasses up on his nose. I have a Future Venture Capitalists meeting. Its kind of a big deal. He closed his laptop.

Impressive, Trey said. He turned to El. See?

But I kinda have a thing El started.

Im busy, too, Zelly said, raising his leg up high for a kick.

Crash!

Zelly fell out of his judo pose and knocked over a display of sneaker boxes. Sorry, he said with a shrug. I have judo practice.

Trey sighed. And clean that up, too, El. He put on his coat. Look, I have an important dinner meeting with a customer tonight. I want to bring him back here after, so this place better be spotless by seven oclock. He looked straight at El. No more distractions. He headed out the front door.

Really? El said to his stepbrothers. Sami is waiting for me. I told you I had the sneaker drop today.

And we told you we have real lives, Stacy said, pushing past him.

Sorry, dude, Zelly added, slapping El on the shoulder.

Els phone rang, but before he could speak to his best friend, Sami, Trey came back and swiped his phone.

Bye, Sami, Trey said into the phone before slipping it into his jacket. No distractions, he repeated to El. His stepbrothers followed their father out of the store, leaving El alone.

Glancing up at the clock on the wall, El realized he might still have time to meet Sami. He threw on a hoodie and paused as he looked at the photo of him and his mom in a frame behind the counter. She would have understood. She would have wanted him to go.

He grabbed his backpack and stuck his head out the front door to see if the coast was clear. When he didnt see Trey or Stacy and Zelly, he flipped the sign on the front door to CLOSED , locked the door, and headed out to meet Sami.

H EY, SAMI! SORRY! SORRY! El called out when he saw his best friend. She was racing down the alley on her skateboard.

She held up her hands in the air when El ran up to her. Where have you been? I thought you had the day off work, she said.

El shrugged. So did I. He jogged next to her as they moved down the street.

Step-Vader strikes again! Sami noted. She knew all too well that Trey was not supportive of Els sneaker designs or passion for the newest kicks. Trey was always holding him up at the store, making him clean up or take inventory.

El didnt want to talk about Trey. He quickly changed the subject. Arent we gonna be late? he asked.

Were already late! Sami said.

As they raced down the alley, Gustavo, an elderly man in the neighborhood who took care of the flowers in the community gardens, stepped into their path. Gustavo was a good friend of Els and had been a special friend to his mom.