A wrenching and necessary read.
A gritty, powerful novel in verse that follows California siblings as they navigate the foster care system.
After a rough placement at age 12, twins Storm and Lake were separated by the state and haven’t seen each other since. Storm has been in juvie, though he’s finally settled, with a decent foster parent and a new girlfriend, Jaidyn. Lake’s position living with a strict Christian family is tenuous, complicated by the fact that she’s falling for her lesbian roommate, Parker. A reunion allows the 17-year-olds to reestablish “our sync”—reading each other’s thoughts and body language with ease. But as quickly as they’ve reconnected, they’re ripped apart when Storm is arrested for avenging Jaidyn’s sexual assault by an ex. Lake and Parker’s luck is no better; they run away and begin to deal drugs to stay afloat. The twins both hit rock bottom: Lake encounters unimaginable violence while living on the streets, and Storm is placed in a juvenile detention center yet again. Through it all, they hold on to hopes of reuniting and finding their sync again. The twins’ dual perspectives are told in poignant, unflinching free verse, with natural breaks according to teenage speech patterns, and the narrative doesn’t shy away from portraying the harsh realities of a broken foster care system. Though the siblings face relentless abuse and tragedy, the conclusion is ultimately hopeful, if tied up a bit too neatly. Most characters are cued white.
A wrenching and necessary read. (Verse fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2024
ISBN: 9780593463246
Page Count: -
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
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
Disappointing.
Unlikely friends fight their growing feelings for each other while placing bets on other people’s love lives.
Bailey met Charlie while flying from Alaska, where she grew up, to Nebraska, where she and her mom would be living after her parents’ divorce. Although they briefly bonded over their parents’ divorces, Charlie’s cynicism grated on the rule-following Bailey, and she was thankful to part ways with him. Three years later, to Bailey’s dismay, she runs into Charlie when they both land jobs at Planet Funnn, a mega-hotel that’s “like a giant landlocked cruise ship.” This time around, Bailey and Charlie begin to get along better. To entertain themselves during their long shifts, they observe and make bets about the hotel guests. But they risk taking it too far when they bet on whether their co-worker Theo will end up with Nekesa, Bailey’s best friend, who’s in “a perfect relationship with the perfect guy.” The book explores Bailey’s conflicted feelings toward her mom’s new relationship with Scott (who doesn’t “do anything wrong” but whose presence changes “the vibe” at home), but it does so in a way that diminishes a primary source of conflict. Bailey's and Charlie’s feelings become even more complicated when Charlie helps Bailey with a fake-dating scheme intended to scare Scott off. Some of the banter between the leads, who are coded white, feels more aggressive than playful, detracting from their intimacy, and the circuitous plot may fail to sustain readers’ interest.
Disappointing. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 28, 2023
ISBN: 9781665921237
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
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