An autobiographical short-story collection from Bagdasarian (Forgotten Fire, 2000) chronicles his childhood and adolescence. Astute and impressionistic, this collection is arranged not chronologically, but in units of remembrance, each section beginning with a brief introduction that gives the reader a sense of the coming portion’s texture and concerns. The overall tone is one of wise humor, and many of the stories, such as “first french kiss,” a comic exploration of expectation and reality, and “going steady,” in which the protagonist commits to a girl, “who though lovely, was looking for someone to love much as a boa constrictor looks for a small pig or owl to swallow,” are quite funny. Others, such as “my tutor,” about an elderly teacher who can no longer remember geometry, or “karate,” in which a fantasy bubble of increasing physical prowess is unwittingly popped by the protagonist’s older brother, are tender and poignant, which is not to say that the author’s droll voice was silent. Central to Bagdasarian’s concerns as a youngster was his father’s opinion of him. He ends with a reminiscence about his father chastising him for not painting the underside of a water pump and his realization that if his father had been “the kind of man who . . . allowed himself the luxury of enjoying the company of his sons, the sight and smell of his vineyard, and three-quarters of a water pump, I would never have finished this book.” Perhaps other sons dealing with critical fathers can take heart in that message. (Short stories. 12+)
Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2002
ISBN: 0-374-32338-0
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Melanie Kroupa/Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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