A harrowing work that combines suspense with a coming-of-age journey of cultural exploration.
In the forest outside Crook’s Falls lies an unnaturally still body of black water that hides—until it’s hungry.
Legends say that the pond is connected to the Ragged Man, who lurks in the shadows: “Walk with him, and you don’t come back.” When Avery, a Kanyen’kehá:ka (Mohawk) high school athlete with a white dad, defies warnings and ventures off the trail during a run, she discovers the deep black water that awakens endless nightmares. Sensing an eerie presence, Avery flees but can’t escape the water’s calls. She’s never felt connected to “the culture [that’s] supposed to be mine” and hesitates to seek the truth until the danger becomes undeniable as her nightmares intensify and people begin to disappear. When Key, the boy who’s her best friend and romantic interest, vanishes, Avery seeks guidance from Elders and learns more about the black water and the Ragged Man. In a desperate attempt to save Key and her town, she navigates a chilling mystery, torn between following wisdom passed down by her Elders and risking everything for love. Against a haunting backdrop, debut novelist Isaacs, who is Kanyen’kehá:ka and white, skillfully portrays a young woman’s struggles with the fallout of having distanced herself from her ancestors, showing how she comes to acknowledge this disconnect—grounded in avoidance of pain and discomfort—and wrestles with the resulting regret.
A harrowing work that combines suspense with a coming-of-age journey of cultural exploration. (Kanyen’kéha glossary, note from Cynthia Leitich Smith) (Supernatural. 13-18)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9780063287389
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Heartdrum
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
PERSPECTIVES
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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