A story at times poignant but at others too conscious of its own hopeful messaging.
Five students from the same Massachusetts high school struggle with difficult life experiences as one of them prepares to return to school following a suicide attempt.
In a diary her therapist suggested she keep, 17-year-old Addison begins the rotation of the narrative in first-person epistolary format, striking a weary tone laced with sarcastic humor. Also lending their voices in the third person are Booker, Damion, Avery, and Celia, students who all know—or at least know of—Addison. Booker is close to Addison, a friend or maybe more, but she’s been avoiding him. This, plus his cousin’s serious illness, weighs heavily on him. Meanwhile, Damion’s image as a minor social media star obscures a tragic family secret, and while everyone knows that Avery’s brother was recently arrested for drug dealing, most don’t suspect that quiet, reserved Celia is dealing with abuse at home. Many realistic issues are explored, and while readers will feel empathy for each of these characters, the overarching themes of interconnectedness and how people can affect others in ways of which they are not always aware are a bit heavy-handed in their portrayals. Addison, Damion, Avery, and Celia are White; Booker is Black, and there is racial diversity among secondary characters.
A story at times poignant but at others too conscious of its own hopeful messaging. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2023
ISBN: 9781639931019
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2023
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
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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