A well-balanced story poised between serious reality and romantic ideals.
A high school junior dodges the spotlight after saving her crush from accidentally drowning.
Growing up, Indian American Sonia Patil and her older sister, Kareena, were taught to avoid attention. While Sonia is a citizen by birth, her mother and Kareena are both undocumented; they originally came to the U.S. seeking treatment for Kareena’s infant leukemia. Since their mother’s recent deportation, Sonia has felt even more pressured to protect Kareena. She’s terrified of being revealed as James Cooper’s rescuer, especially after details about the incident are picked up by the news and spread across social media. When Sonia visits the Coopers’ restaurant to check on James’ recovery, she’s mistaken for his new girlfriend. Although this misunderstanding is quickly resolved, Sonia finds herself drawn to the Coopers, a close-knit Black and Indian family whose strong relationships and deep community roots contrast sharply with the fragility of her own. A new friendship and an unexpected attraction to James’ older brother, Niam, further complicate matters and force Sonia, who prefers to retreat from her problems, to choose between staying in her daydreams and taking charge of her life. Undocumented immigration, stress over health care, and the toxic use of social media are among the issues Rai addresses in her YA debut. Sonia’s struggles are depicted with sensitivity and attention to detail that extend to supporting characters, though the main antagonist unfortunately comes across as a mean girl cliché.
A well-balanced story poised between serious reality and romantic ideals. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-06-308396-7
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2023
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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