Destined for great heights.
A loud-and-proud fangirl finds herself living a fan’s dream.
Faith Herbert runs a popular blog for her main obsession—the popular show The Grove. This past summer, Faith took a chance to secretly have her latent psiot abilities activated and gained the ability to fly. She’s not sure what she’s meant to do with her new superheroic powers, but she’s been trying to keep her “feet on the ground” as she starts her senior year. When The Grove moves its shooting location to Faith’s small Minnesota town, she can’t believe her luck. Then she meets, and starts hanging out with, the show’s star, Dakota Ash. In the meantime, a string of local pets, homeless people, and then Faith’s classmates all go missing. It’s scary, but she’s determined to help if she can. Faith’s character is the true star here; she has a sweet disposition and genuine dedication to her friends and family. She’s also good-humored, which makes moments of emotional stress, like dealing with her grandmother’s emerging memory issues, all the more poignant. As in all her work, Murphy’s portrayal of a plus-size protagonist is nuanced and heartfelt. Faith is blonde, white, and questioning. Dakota is biracial (white/Latinx) and lesbian.
Destined for great heights. (Fiction. 13-19)Pub Date: July 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-289965-1
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2020
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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