With elements of mystery and history, emotion and thrill, this is a worthwhile addition to any collection.
Set in Bermuda in 1972, this novel tells the story of 13-year-old Rebekah Eve, a talented black artist whose visions hold keys to the past.
Rebekah has tested into Meridian, the best school on the island, to the delight of her ambitious mother. But Rebekah finds it hard to focus in class, especially when people and scenes appear in her mind that demand to be drawn. Her best friend, Wanda, is growing apart from her; her parents have separated; and her mother is dating a white man—all of which are additional distractions. But Rebekah’s father supports her art, and when the mysterious Lady of the Library tells him to bring her to the island’s eminent black artist, Mr. Stowe, for private lessons, he does so. This mentorship helps her understand that people from the past are revealing their stories through her art. While some abrupt transitions occasionally make the story difficult to follow, the novel is fast-paced and sprinkled with recognizable growing pains and cultural realities. The historical events Rebekah’s art uncovers are inspired by real historical events. The blurred line between imagination and truth-telling in artistic expression is intriguingly portrayed in this ode to art and to the silenced, condemned voices of the past.
With elements of mystery and history, emotion and thrill, this is a worthwhile addition to any collection. (author’s note) (Historical fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2019
ISBN: 978-976-8267-25-2
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Blouse & Skirt Books
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
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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