A hopeful, realistic exploration of mental health among teens invested in the world of the arts.
The highs and lows of ballet—and of growing up.
Sixteen-year-old Aisha Bimi has worked hard to be one of the best dancers in her ballet-focused boarding school, but she is continually reminded that, in many people’s eyes, she doesn’t look the part. Aisha is Ghanaian Canadian, and there are few Black people in the world of ballet. After she fails to receive an apprenticeship with the Western Canadian Ballet, Aisha makes the split-second decision to return home to Toronto. There, she toys with the idea of enrolling in an arts high school with her best friend, Neil. She can see that Neil, who is of Korean descent, has an alcohol problem, and she is determined to help, enlisting the aid of Algerian Canadian Ollie, one of Neil’s quiet yet compelling school friends. Can Aisha balance her relationships old and new, her mental health, and ballet, or is it all too much? Aisha’s feelings about dance consistently ring true, from the isolation of having few role models or friends who look like her to her love of classical technique and her hunger for something new. Her struggles with body image are especially authentic. Aisha and her friends face real problems and are not without their stumbles and missteps, but they also work to support each other in finding healing and healthy ways to move forward.
A hopeful, realistic exploration of mental health among teens invested in the world of the arts. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 6, 2023
ISBN: 9781773217819
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Annick Press
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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