A well-written, accessible examination of the very real and, sadly, very common experience of high school bullying.
A realistic, unflinching look at high school bullying and teenage redemption.
Nothing is going right for ninth-grader Jamee Wills: She’s failing algebra; her father has come home after a long absence to disrupt the family dynamic; her mother is pregnant again; her beloved grandmother passed away; everyone at school unfavorably compares her to her brilliant older sister, Darcy; her boyfriend, Desmond, expects her to go further sexually; and the one thing she loves—cheerleading—depends upon an improvement in grades she just can’t accomplish. Defying her algebra teacher and her parents, Jamee goes to tryouts to see if she can carve out a space for herself away from all the external pressure. What awaits her, though, is a serious dilemma: Should she ally herself with the cool, powerful, mean girls who rule the school, or stick up for Angel, an unassuming, timid but determined girl who’s had a difficult time in every school she’s attended? Navigating the treacherous waters of high school life leaves Jamee in danger of losing her friends, her boyfriend and any chance at making the cheerleading squad. The drama comes to a head when one of the cool girls takes and distributes a cellphone picture of Jamee and Angel together, which fuels vicious rumors and forces Jamee to confront the cool girls—and to potentially quit the squad. Author Folan (Breaking Point, 2010), whose Bluford series has garnered legions of loyal YA fans, pens an accurate representation of and respect for teenagers in a story that runs with a clear moral. Folan handles delicate emotional situations with care, and while sometimes she errs on the side of oversimplification, she steers the story back on its honest course. With bullying a hot-button issue in the media and at home, books like Folan’s, which dramatize the struggles faced by both kids and adults, are vital to the ongoing conversation.
A well-written, accessible examination of the very real and, sadly, very common experience of high school bullying.Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2010
ISBN: 978-1591942337
Page Count: 154
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: April 2, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
A book that seamlessly brings readers along on a journey of impact and empowerment.
A manifesto for budding feminists.
At the core of this engaging novel are besties Chelsea, who is Irish- and Italian-American and into fashion and beauty, and Jasmine, who is African-American, loves the theater, and pushes back against bias around size (“I don’t need your fake compliments, your pity. I know I’m beautiful. Inside and out”). They and their sidekicks, half-Japanese/half-Lebanese Nadine and Puerto Rican Isaac, grow into first-class activists—simultaneously educating their peers and readers. The year gets off to a rocky start at their progressive, social justice–oriented New York City high school: Along with the usual angst many students experience, Jasmine’s father is terminally ill with cancer, and after things go badly in both their clubs, Jasmine and Chelsea form a women’s rights club which becomes the catalyst for their growth as they explore gender inequality and opportunities for change. This is an inspiring look at two strong-willed teens growing into even stronger young women ready to use their voices and take on the world, imploring budding feminists everywhere to “join the revolution.” The book offers a poetic balance of dialogue among the main characters, their peers, and the adults in their lives. The exquisite pacing, which intersperses everyday teen conflicts with weightier issues, demonstrates how teens long to be heard and taken seriously.
A book that seamlessly brings readers along on a journey of impact and empowerment. (resources for young activists, endnotes) (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Feb. 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0008-3
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2019
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