A refreshing tribute to all the young women who are changing the story.
An ambitious teen lands a summer internship with her favorite film director.
Seventeen-year-old Hayley Saffitz feels destined to be in the world of animation despite her parents’ wish that she pursue a more practical career like her pre-med brother, Zach. When she is selected to intern at BB Gun Films, she is one step closer to achieving her goals: impress Oscar-winning director Bryan Beckett and secure a job in the industry after high school. Only four out of the 41 interns will be selected for a directing opportunity, and Hayley is confident she will be among them. But when all the positions are given to boys, including Bryan’s apathetic son, Bear, Hayley’s awareness of the absence and mistreatment of women at the studio heightens. Tired of being belittled by her male peers, Hayley teams up with the five other female interns to create their own short film to prove their worth. Hayley is passionate and oftentimes arrogant, but when the systemic misogyny in the studio becomes palpable, she learns to be a better team player and friend without sacrificing her self-belief. An enemies-to-lovers romance offers dimension to Hayley’s growth as an independent young woman. Sussman purposely creates a cast that reflects the lack of diversity in the animation industry: Most characters are White; Hayley is Jewish, and there is a smattering of Latinx and Asian characters.
A refreshing tribute to all the young women who are changing the story. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Sept. 28, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-9297-4
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
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
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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