Another engaging novel about teens as works in progress, from Wittlinger (Hard Love, 1999, etc.). The story is told from the point of view of Kenyon Baker, third and last child of two middle-aged schoolteachers. According to Ken, he was an unplanned, unexpected addition to the family, and has been mostly forgotten by his parents. They purchase a cottage camp on Cape Cod, planning to use it as the focus for a new life in retirement. From the start of this venture, things go wrong. Kenyon’s dad injures his back badly and is hors de combat as far as renovating the cottages is concerned. Kenyon makes friends in the town—friends that his mother vehemently disapproves of. On a trip to the garbage dump with his mother, he meets Razzle—eccentric, direct, socially underdeveloped, emotionally vulnerable, and, very, very likable. Razzle introduces Kenyon to two local teens, Primo and Harley, after which Kenyon’s summer becomes one of self-discovery and experimentation, artistically and emotionally. While totally engrossing, there are a couple of minor flaws to consider. The uneven characterization is dependent on descriptive shortcuts. The story climaxes in a melodramatic scene that dissolves or alters drastically all Ken’s relationships. It also ends too glibly, with Kenyon describing the different way he treats his parents, but not explaining how he changed the relationship. Teens, however, will not care about these flaws since they will find this compulsively readable. In many ways, Razzle dazzles. (Fiction. YA)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83565-5
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
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
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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