An atmospheric gridiron tale that highlights the complexities of team sports, friendship, and bias.
An autistic Black teen in Florida battles on and off the field to define his own destiny and come to his brother’s aid.
Sixteen-year-old Aiden Wright wants to play football with his older brother during their last school year together before Brandon goes to college. But sensory stress during Aiden’s team tryout leads to a meltdown, and he’s only invited to play when two other athletes leave. Meanwhile, Aiden is placed in a life skills class that’s typically reserved for kids who have challenges. There he’s partnered for a project involving getting a part-time job with friendly new girl Isabella, who got in trouble at her old school. When a teammate who’s long been cruel to Aiden because of his autism instigates a fight that escalates, Aiden becomes a victim of police violence. Brandon intervenes, trying to protect him, and is arrested and charged with assaulting an officer. Now Aiden battles complicated team dynamics while he tries to get Brandon exonerated. Aiden is a nuanced character with a well-developed inner life. The brothers’ realistically drawn relationship is both flawed and vulnerable, showing the different facets of their personalities. The coaches and about half the football players are white, and the Wrights live in a wealthy, predominantly white area of town; Davis’ debut explores the intersections of race and socioeconomic differences.
An atmospheric gridiron tale that highlights the complexities of team sports, friendship, and bias. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: April 15, 2025
ISBN: 9781665952651
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2025
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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