A magnetic, emotional journey with nuanced internal conflict and dynamic characters.
Two teens—a super fan and a celebrity musician—confront their insecurities about their relationships and identities as their lives unexpectedly intertwine.
Fereshteh (or Angel as she’s known online, a translation of her Farsi name), is a Persian British hijabi who lives for The Ark, a boy band rising to international fame. Before the final show of their tour, Fereshteh ditches her high school leavers’ ceremony to fulfill her dream of seeing them in concert with Juliet Schwartz, a White online friend she’s meeting for the first time—but when she arrives in London, her high expectations are derailed by reality. Jimmy Kaga-Ricci, a gay Christian transgender boy of Indian and Italian descent, greets his fans from a distance. On the inside, he’s overwhelmed by anxiety. His emotions spiral out of control when the press exposes too much about his relationships. This irresistibly energetic coming-of-age story alternates between the perspectives of two emerging adults grappling with their senses of self. Fereshteh values The Ark more than her own achievements, while Jimmy questions whether he can keep sacrificing his happiness for his career. Love takes center stage in the unfolding drama, showcasing the complex and varied experiences of admiration, attraction, and connection within relationships, particularly friendships. Religious faith also plays an important role in the protagonists’ lives, shaping their outlooks and decisions. The characters are multidimensional with flaws and goals that direct their growth.
A magnetic, emotional journey with nuanced internal conflict and dynamic characters. (bonus story) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-338-83093-4
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
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
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
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