Delightful in the moment if ultimately unmemorable.
Boy meets girl leads to a summer of first love in Durango and Terrones’ debut as co-authors.
Moving from bustling Chicago to quiet Buffalo Falls, Illinois, doesn’t exactly thrill 16-year-old Zeus. Summer turns out no better when his mother enlists him as a delivery boy for her struggling cafe. Now, the “proud Mexiwegian” (half Mexican, half Norwegian—Zeus is short for Jésus) teen is stuck pedaling through the sticky heat with his World War II–obsessed kid brother in tow. One fateful delivery sends him to the Hilltop Nursing Home, where he spots Rose, a Filipina piano prodigy whose mother is a nurse there. The pair soon hit it off, but inevitably, a complication arises: Rose may leave Buffalo Falls for music school in New York at the end of the summer. Durango and Terrones set up Zeus and Rose’s relationship in broad strokes, relying heavily on that familiar summer-romance trope—and Zeus’ often funny narration—to add some initial urgency. Alarmed by the limit on their time together, Zeus plans to make Rose’s summer an unforgettable one, with trips to a polka festival, a psychic, and the Chicago Art Institute. Meanwhile, he volunteers at the nursing home, getting chummy with some of its residents, starts a band, and receives questionable dating advice from a new friend. A late revelation attempts to raise both the stakes and some half-baked family drama, but the story nonetheless continues its dutiful march to an uplifting finale.
Delightful in the moment if ultimately unmemorable. (Romance. 13-17)Pub Date: Dec. 19, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-06-231403-1
Page Count: 304
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2017
Despite some missteps, this will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh and realistic teen voice.
A teenage, not-so-lonely loner endures the wilds of high school in Austin, Texas.
Norris Kaplan, the protagonist of Philippe’s debut novel, is a hypersweaty, uber-snarky black, Haitian, French-Canadian pushing to survive life in his new school. His professor mom’s new tenure-track job transplants Norris mid–school year, and his biting wit and sarcasm are exposed through his cataloging of his new world in a field guide–style burn book. He’s greeted in his new life by an assortment of acquaintances, Liam, who is white and struggling with depression; Maddie, a self-sacrificing white cheerleader with a heart of gold; and Aarti, his Indian-American love interest who offers connection. Norris’ ego, fueled by his insecurities, often gets in the way of meaningful character development. The scenes showcasing his emotional growth are too brief and, despite foreshadowing, the climax falls flat because he still gets incredible personal access to people he’s hurt. A scene where Norris is confronted by his mother for getting drunk and belligerent with a white cop is diluted by his refusal or inability to grasp the severity of the situation and the resultant minor consequences. The humor is spot-on, as is the representation of the black diaspora; the opportunity for broader conversations about other topics is there, however, the uneven buildup of detailed, meaningful exchanges and the glibness of Norris’ voice detract.
Despite some missteps, this will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh and realistic teen voice. (Fiction. 13-16)Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-282411-0
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
Bound to be popular.
A suddenly trendy trope—conflict and romance between members of conquering and enslaved races—enlivened by fantasy elements loosely drawn from Arabic tradition (another trend!).
In an original, well-constructed fantasy world (barring some lazy naming), the Scholars have lived under Martial rule for 500 years, downtrodden and in many cases enslaved. Scholar Laia has spent a lifetime hiding her connection to the Resistance—her parents were its leaders—but when her grandparents are killed and her brother’s captured by Masks, the eerie, silver-faced elite soldiers of the Martial Empire, Laia must go undercover as a slave to the terrifying Commandant of Blackcliff Military Academy, where Martials are trained for battle. Meanwhile, Elias, the Commandant’s not-at-all-beloved son, wants to run away from Blackcliff, until he is named an Aspirant for the throne by the mysterious red-eyed Augurs. Predictably, action, intrigue, bloodshed and some pounding pulses follow; there’s betrayal and a potential love triangle or two as well. Sometimes-lackluster prose and a slight overreliance on certain kinds of sexual violence as a threat only slightly diminish the appeal created by familiar (but not predictable) characters and a truly engaging if not fully fleshed-out fantasy world.
Bound to be popular. (Fantasy. 13 & up)Pub Date: April 28, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-59514-803-2
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Jan. 9, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2015
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