A mixed bag with some gems for adventurous readers to find.
Trans teens must save the LGBTQ+ youth center—and the world.
Orsino, a rural trans boy, is plagued by visions of aliens, time travel, and destruction. With James, a goth trans boy, he finds that he can share these visions—and even create new realities when they touch. James falls for Orsino but realizes he still has feelings for Ian, a gender-questioning queer Latine punk (Orsino and James are white; James is Jewish). Meanwhile, the boys and their friends attempt to organize a punk music fundraising show. The story combines a familiar tale of youth activism with epic, allegorical science fiction, but the two elements are like oil and water, mingling without fully merging into a satisfying whole. There is a darkness to both parts: The characters experience challenging lives rife with abuse and bullying, adults with terrible boundaries, and the everyday pain of adolescence; meanwhile, aliens offer horrific visions of destruction and existential threats. The end does provide a glimmer of hope, however. The writing can be stiff, but there are moments of evocative description and emotional poignancy. A slur for people with mental disabilities appears several times, used unnecessarily by an abusive dad and adding to the raw tone. Taken as a whole, the book is original and intriguing despite not wholly achieving its ambitious goals.
A mixed bag with some gems for adventurous readers to find. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2023
ISBN: 9781644213018
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Triangle Square Books for Young Readers
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 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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