A breathtakingly drawn debut weaving together humor, sweetness, angst, and a bit of magic.
Two teens are swept into a shared dream amid the ups and downs of first love.
Under the glow of the lights from an arcade game, Amber confesses to her best friend, Nico, that she wants to be more than friends. He admits that he returns her feelings, and they spend the summer before 9th grade basking in the bliss of puppy love, much to the consternation of Nico’s Filipino mother (Amber reads white). When school starts, their relationship becomes a welcome escape from the social and academic pressures of high school, especially for Amber. But as the pair become more caught up in each other, they begin to alienate their once tight-knit friend group. One night, Amber and Nico fall asleep on the sofa while watching TV and find themselves sharing a strange but beautiful dream. Their journey across fantastical landscapes feels like the perfect place to hide away forever. The longer it goes on, however, the more it becomes clear that even a dream doesn’t offer a safe escape from the problems they’ve been dealing with in the outside world. How will things change for Amber and Nico when—and if—they wake up? The story takes place in 2008, but the cheekily portrayed, geographically ambiguous suburban setting lends a sense of timelessness. Expressive full-color illustrations in soft tones make for an uncommonly immersive read.
A breathtakingly drawn debut weaving together humor, sweetness, angst, and a bit of magic. (Graphic fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: Jan. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9781603095464
Page Count: 312
Publisher: Top Shelf Productions
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2024
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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