A charming effort with a positive message about being true to oneself.
Two young artists seize a chance to showcase their talents in the hopes of pursuing their dreams.
High school senior Noah sews and dreams of designing costumes. Already notorious among peers for making his own clothes and costumes for parties, Noah wants to go to art school and perfect his craft, but his parents are opposed. Despite their objections, Noah applies to his dream school along with their approved, traditional universities. One day he bumps into Azarie, a classmate who is the popular lead cheerleader. She secretly nurtures a love of comic books and aspires to be an actress, to the dismay of her strict, status-conscious parents and friends. Azarie ends up proposing that the two of them collaborate to create a cosplay costume she can wear in a contest, thus showing others who they truly are. While working together, they find a wider community of artists, and a friendship grows—but so does others’ animosity toward their bond. The storyline offers a sweet, albeit familiar, narrative. The protagonists’ main conflict—the disapproval of their parents—reads as a not-very-subtle plot device that would have benefited from more development. However, the illustrations bring life to the graphic novel, particularly when it comes to the characters’ sartorial creativity, demonstrating the range of Noah’s talent. Noah is Black; Azarie is White, and background characters are ethnically diverse.
A charming effort with a positive message about being true to oneself. (Graphic fiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Sept. 28, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-952303-23-4
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Maverick
Review Posted Online: July 7, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
Vail captures the complexity of middle school social challenges, insightfully addressing the issues of friendships and...
Eighth-grader Truly’s foray into popularity spirals into a tempest of deceit and betrayal.
Upon turning 13, Truly is given a measure of technological freedom: a cellphone and access to social media. But this soon evolves into a quagmire of problems for Truly. When former BFF Natasha invites her to join the Popular Table during lunchtime and to collaborate on a school assignment, Truly is surprised but thrilled. However, Natasha’s overtures hide an ulterior motive. In the pursuit of popularity, Truly neglects her friendship with Hazel, who retaliates by plotting revenge utilizing social media. The Truly/Hazel dynamic is just one component of this interwoven story. Vail explores the motivations and private quandaries of the six characters who narrate the tale, from Jack, the quiet advocate for those excluded, to the socially conscious and manipulative Natasha, who yearns to be the most popular. With keen insight, Vail reveals the internal struggles with uncertainty and self-doubt that can plague young teens regardless of popularity status. Natasha’s schemes and Hazel’s misdeeds lead to a relentless barrage of bullying via social media for Truly. While a dramatic moment reveals the extent of Truly’s anguish, Vail concludes the tale with a resolution that is both realistic and hopeful.
Vail captures the complexity of middle school social challenges, insightfully addressing the issues of friendships and integrity. (Fiction. 12-15)Pub Date: Sept. 25, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-670-01307-4
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: July 28, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2014
Although it may not satisfy as a novel, its characters will no doubt resonate with teen readers who share their struggles...
A new group of students join Mr. Ward’s poetry class in the companion novel to Bronx Masquerade (2003).
A group of black, white, Asian, and Latinx high school students in Mr. Ward’s class practice the art of poetry in preparation for a weekly open-mike reading each Friday. Through poetry, the students navigate their concerns and fears about themselves, their families, and their futures. As they prepare for the class’s culminating event—a poetry slam competition—the students bond and grow more comfortable revealing themselves through their poems. Each student’s story is introduced and explored in rotating first-person chapters. There’s brown (not black) Puerto Rican Darrian, an aspiring journalist who lost his mother to cancer; 16-year-old Jenesis, a blue-eyed, blonde, black girl who worries what will happen when she ages out of the foster-care system at 18; Chinese-American Li, who hides her love of poetry from her parents; African-American Marcel, whose father wasn’t the same when he returned home from prison; and several others. Unfortunately, the characters’ personal struggles remain largely static throughout the novel, and there’s no overarching plot or compelling conflict among them. Much of the dialogue feels forced and doesn’t ring true as the voices of present-day teens; aside from a few poignant moments, the students’ poetry tends to be heavy-handed.
Although it may not satisfy as a novel, its characters will no doubt resonate with teen readers who share their struggles and aspirations. (Fiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Feb. 13, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-399-24688-3
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 21, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2017
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