A twisty thriller that delves into tough emotional topics.
A small-town teen’s moral compass is set awry after she discovers a dark side to someone she loves.
After the death of her beloved, well-respected father, recent high school graduate Calli rescues an injured girl she finds hiding on their family property. Shielding the clearly traumatized girl, whom she believes escaped from a nearby fundamentalist sect in the desert, Calli takes her to her family’s mountain cabin, where she learns more about the girl, along with some disturbing truths about her own family. Comforted by childhood memories of her parents and formative years but also baffled by what’s unfolding before her, Callie experiences a “watershed moment” when she faces an important decision involving loyalty and justice. The narrative alternates effectively with introspective poems that add insight and intensity. The book explores the notion that there are monsters among us whose bland, ordinary, even righteous exteriors hide evil within and the fact that it can be easier to wear blinders than to face the truth. Calli’s first-person narration traces her trajectory from initial respect for her elders’ advice to becoming cynical and mistrustful. The plot explores the cyclical nature of abuse and the fine line between abuser and victim while addressing one teen’s growing awareness of these complexities. Characters largely read white; contextual clues point to Calli’s belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
A twisty thriller that delves into tough emotional topics. (Thriller. 13-18)Pub Date: Dec. 12, 2023
ISBN: 9780593480694
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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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