A tender coming-of-age story about family and first love.
A 17-year-old Californian enjoys a transformative summer before senior year with her mother’s relatives in Mexico.
A quiet and studious people-pleaser, Lola Espinoza feels pressured by Mami and Papi to make their college dreams for her come true. But when she gets a C in Spanish despite trying her best, they send her to Mexico City to stay with her maternal grandmother and master Spanish. Though initially upset about being forced to go, Lola is soon swept up by life with her enormous extended family, working as a hostess at her cousin’s restaurant, and the interest of two cute co-workers—popular, charming Río and stoic, levelheaded Javier. But every time Lola kisses a boy, she gets sick. Upon learning of a curse that makes following your heart extra challenging for women in the Gómez family, Lola is determined to do whatever she must to free herself from its power. Javi, who turns out to be contending with family issues of his own, volunteers to help her. Humor and insights abound throughout Lola’s curse-breaking quest, and readers will root for the considerate protagonist as her confidence grows. The story thoughtfully touches on identity and heritage: Lola’s paternal grandparents were undocumented, Papi attended college in Mexico, and Lola feels sensitive about her language struggles. It also explores colorism in Latine communities; Lola has tan skin, Rio is light-skinned, and Javi, who has a darker complexion, has a Zapotec mother.
A tender coming-of-age story about family and first love. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: April 11, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-40562-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Kokila
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
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
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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