Higher Ground book cover of Ready for the World series featuring teen couple and 1980's camera

Ready for the World

Author: Charmeljun Gallardo

New Release - Higher Ground

Third book in the Ready for the World series

YOUNG ADULT | COMING OF AGE | TEEN ROMANCE | 80’S NOSTALGIA | DIVERSE VOICES

About the series

Step back into the 80’s. Step into Brandon’s World.

Ready for the World is a heartfelt, young adult, coming-of-age series that blends the joy, heartbreak, and awkward hilarity of high school life with the vibrant energy of the late 1980s, back when “social” meant hanging out at the mall.

This series follows Brandon Delacruz, a Filipino-American teen navigating first love, friendship, and what it means to grow up especially when you're caught between cultures, expectations, and emotions you can't yet name.

Packed with 80’s nostalgia, authentic cultural storytelling, and relatable teen drama, this series resonates with YA readers and Gen Xers alike. Whether you grew up rewinding cassette tapes or you’re discovering the decade for the first time, Ready for the World invites you to laugh, cry, and remember what it’s like when you were ready to take on the world.

Book cover titled 'Ready for the World: Driver's Education' by Charmeljun Gallardo, with a blue background, white and yellow text, and an illustration of an 80's Walkman at the bottom.

Driver’s Education

With his new license, Brandon’s sophomore year should be all about fun and freedom. But when love and friendship collide, he learns that navigating life’s roads isn’t as easy as passing a driving test.

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AVAILABLE NOW

Paperback | eBook

AUDIOBOOK

Audible | Spotify

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Ready for the World: Superstar Book Cover

Superstar

Brandon begins to forge new paths, including a suprising connection with a girl whose own scars seem to mirror his. But as one friendship blossoms into something more, another slips into uncharted territory.

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AVAILABLE NOW

Paperback | eBook

AUDIOBOOK

Audible | Spotify

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Ready for the Word: Higher Ground book cover

Higher Ground

NEW RELEASE!

Brandon throught he could outrun the fallout of this own choices, but the past has a way of catching up. After a winter trying to piece himself back together, he returns to junior year carrying more guilt than confidence, hoping no one notices how broken he feels inside.

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AVAILABLE NOW

Paperback | eBook

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COMING SOON

Audiobook

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Ready for the World book series banner featuring teen couple with girl resting her head on boy's shoulder

Your Voice Matters

If you’ve read a Ready for the World book, your review is one of the most powerful ways to help the series grow. Share your thoughts on Amazon, Goodreads, or wherever you bought the book—your words help other readers discover Brandon’s story.

From Our Readers

  • “I know I enjoyed it because it brought back my own high school memories. What Brandon and his friends experience are what many teens desire. There is universal truth in the story, so I recommend it for both teens AND adults.”

    Amazon Reviewer

  • “The author has a real talent for showing readers who these characters are right from the first page, and that had me invested in the story from the beginning.”

    Amazon Reviewer

  • “The book was filled with witty comebacks, romance and heartbreak. The writing was exquisite and descriptive. It really portrayed what it was like for teenagers during their high school years.”

    Goodreads Reviewer

  • "As a teenager of the eighties, I absolutely LOVED this story, not just for its perfect balance of references from the time, but also for the strength of these characters developed by Charmeljun Gallardo."

    Goodreads Reviewer

  • "This book captures the little nuances of the life of a teenager in general and once in a while, the life of a Filipino family..."

    Amazon Reviewer

  • "At moments it seems like it is my story, like someone from different parts of the world, whom I have never met is talking about me. "

    Goodreads Reviewer