A solid sophomore novel that keeps readers involved in the entertaining series.
In this sequel to The Inheritance Games (2020), Avery has a new Hawthorne family puzzle to solve.
Picking up where the last volume left off, Avery and the four Hawthorne grandsons are on a mission to find Toby, the billionaire patriarch’s only son, who was presumed dead after a fire but, it turns out, may still be alive. With enigmatic clues and more cryptic mysteries left by the deceased family patriarch and Toby himself, Avery and the young Hawthornes piece together the details of the latter’s disappearance. Assisting the mostly White cast this time is Avery’s best friend, Maxine Liu, whose name cues her as Chinese American. Once again, action-packed chapters with more threats against Avery’s life and an ongoing love triangle among Avery and two rival Hawthorne grandsons drive the momentum. This novel relies less on the brainteasers that made the first book so much fun and more on sleuthing to fill in the backstory surrounding the Hawthorne lineage and Avery’s own heritage. Are the two connected? The answers occasionally lead to more questions as the pace quickens and red herring upon red herring prevail, leading up to the conclusion of this installment. An open ending—and a bolder Avery—are ready for the next set of Hawthorne challenges.
A solid sophomore novel that keeps readers involved in the entertaining series. (Mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5763-5
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: July 7, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
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
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
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