A fast-paced story for reluctant readers with an endearing protagonist to root for.
A lovely story of learning to chart your own course.
Mina is excited about starting work as a sales associate at Luscious Lingerie, but she soon discovers that her overly excitable boss is putting her through “a trial by fire.” Maybe Mina will do better in a different department? Another thing that makes the merchandising team much better than the sales department for bisexual Mina is the presence of her co-worker Lexie Hayes, a beautiful, popular girl she went to school with who gives her butterflies. Mina’s relationship with Lexie evolves as they flirt and get to know each other; it turns out Lexie is bi as well. If only Mina’s life could just revolve around Lexie! Alas, while she’s trying to find her own path, her family pressures her about both her future and her body. Between her Greek immigrant relatives talking about finding her a husband (or wife) from the village in the old country and a guy from work hitting on her at a party, things are complicated. And just when she thinks she’s got it all figured out, Lexie starts calling in sick at work right after meeting Mina’s parents. Mina is a body-positive fat girl who’s considering whether she might actually be pansexual. She’s a delightful main character, exploring all facets of growing up and becoming one’s own person.
A fast-paced story for reluctant readers with an endearing protagonist to root for. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781459418059
Page Count: 168
Publisher: James Lorimer
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
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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