An absorbing mystery with strong characterization.
A girl is determined to find her missing crush when the town blames the disappearance on Satanists.
When Audre Weaver and her family moved from Brooklyn to a small town in Pennsylvania, she really didn’t fit in—she was sent home from school the first day for violating the dress code with her purple nail polish, and she was taken aback by seeing the Ten Commandments posted in her public high school. Luckily, Audre has befriended David, a fellow outsider who moved there from Puerto Rico, and feels drawn to Elle, the daughter of a local preacher for whom her feelings might be stronger than friendship. Then Elle goes missing, and the dress she was wearing when she disappeared turns up in the woods soaked in blood at what looks like the site of a Satanic ritual. Audre’s father, who is researching the occult for his book, is detained by the police in connection with Elle’s disappearance. Since the police seem satisfied that they have cracked the case, Audre sets out herself to find out what really happened to Elle. Audre is a strong-willed, loyal protagonist who stands up for what she believes. Her friendship with David is warm and natural, as are her relationships with her parents. The gentle queer romance subplot enhances the well-crafted mystery in this novel that explores Satanic panic. Other than brown-skinned David, characters are White.
An absorbing mystery with strong characterization. (Mystery. 12-18)Pub Date: June 20, 2023
ISBN: 9780593644102
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Underlined
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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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