A wild, weird, and fun romp.
Wrestling, taxidermy, and gender all are woven into one storyline about fitting in after relocating.
Thanks to Mom’s “mid-life crisis,” Birdie and her family have moved to the mountains in upstate New York where Dad grew up, leaving behind New Jersey, where Birdie was an intensely competitive gymnast. But her coach had informed her that her body was growing too big for elite gymnastics, so now Birdie’s contemplating joining cheerleading with summer best friend Lexie. After a late-night prank at Mostly Bones, the local taxidermy shop, goes wrong, Birdie is forced to work off her debt to the shop owner, famous wrestling legend Mad Mabel, the Mother of Mayhem. Meanwhile, she befriends Abigail Rose, Mabel’s granddaughter, whose passion for reviving a feminist version of Mabel’s brand convinces Birdie to join all-female wrestling squad the Future of Mayhem. The wrestling worldbuilding is robust but can be clunky and hard to follow at times. The short chapters feature visceral, detailed language and laugh-out-loud-funny dialogue. Charming tropes and captivating characters enhance the solid pacing, though a feud between two factions ends with an unbelievably easy resolution. Birdie’s coming out as nonbinary (she/they) is sweet, is lovingly received by friends and family, and provides an important reflection for teens everywhere who are struggling with big questions around gender identity. Major characters read white; the supporting cast includes racial diversity.
A wild, weird, and fun romp. (playlist, suggested reading) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: March 19, 2024
ISBN: 9781250836595
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
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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