An authentic-feeling, wide-ranging tale of mid-20th-century teenage turmoil.
Langbert’s debut YA novel portrays a teen’s coming-of-age in the 1950s as Elvis Presley arrives on the music scene.
It’s 1956 and 13-year-old Paula Levy lives in the New York City borough of Queens. She loves rock ’n’ roll, and her only friend is Margaret Feldman; her father and Paula’s grew up together in Germany before moving to the United States. Paula’s family isn’t very chatty and unfavorably compare her to Margaret: “You know that it...disappoints your father when Margaret does better than you do.” Margaret’s family, meanwhile, converses on a variety of topics at every meal. One day at the record store, Paula notices that Barbara, one of the local “cool girls,” has the novel The Catcher in the Rye (1951) sticking out of her pocket, which is Paula’s favorite book. Paula starts conspicuously holding her own copy of the book as she walks down the school hallway, hoping the Barbara will notice. Soon, Barbara asks Paula if she wants to sit with her during lunch (at a table behind a pillar). This unusual pair begins a secret friendship, connected by Elvis and Holden Caulfield. As their friendship grows, Paula tests boundaries and tries things Barbara does—skipping Chemistry Club, being “alone without any grown-ups,” and smoking cigarettes. Langbert adeptly weaves teenage angst and rebellion with some very adult problems; the former includes Paula passing judgment on Barbara’s friend by invoking Catcher in the Rye (“What an idiot. What would Holden think of Sheila? Nothing. She was too stupid for him to even notice”), and the latter, the effects of the Depression on Paula’s mother. The author also ably touches on abuse, teen pregnancy, and antisemitism, while compellingly addressing Paula’s parents love-hate relationship with their home country of Germany. Overall, the author effectively provides a snapshot of a teenager’s life in 1956 against a backdrop of national and world history.
An authentic-feeling, wide-ranging tale of mid-20th-century teenage turmoil.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Aug. 5, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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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