An overgeneralized, bland guide that utterly fails to connect with teen readers.
This book seeks to present a guide to the stresses teens face.
Presenting copious studies and quoting therapists and other experts on teenagers’ mental health, this volume about mental health unfortunately keeps teens at a distance. Unless readers need a resource with statistics for a school assignment, it’s hard to see how this formal, dry narrative would be of any interest. Yes, first-person teen stories are offered, but they are unenlightening. (A teen is depressed after her father dies, go figure.) Data from studies by the Pew Research Center, American Psychological Association, National Institutes of Health, and others are presented. Teens will learn, to their utter unsurprise, that they are stressed—that school is a stressor, that family conflict is a stressor, that peer pressure is a stressor, that being LGBTQ+ is a stressor. Teens know this, and the bland advice offered by the adult experts gives little succor. They are encouraged to get professional counseling, consider medication, and seek supportive friendships. Full-color (primarily stock) photos show ethnically diverse young people, however everyone is squeakily clean-cut: No tattoos, piercings, or unusual hair color or styles here. While the inclusion of LGBTQ+ concerns is commendable, the impact of racism on mental health is not addressed. The resources section at the end may offer the most valuable information.
An overgeneralized, bland guide that utterly fails to connect with teen readers. (source notes, organizations, index, photo credits) (Nonfiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-68282-753-6
Page Count: 80
Publisher: ReferencePoint Press
Review Posted Online: July 12, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
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
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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