A funny, sweet, and emotional navigation of faith and queerness.
A teen boy figures out his true feelings in this heartfelt page-turner.
Milo Connolly is a “super-religious, super-shy nerd”—or at least that’s what his fellow seniors would say. Except for his agnostic soccer star best friend, Van, a girl he met at church, people in Port Orange, Florida, would be pressed to even remember him. All there seemingly is to Milo is being the son of adamantly Republican Presbyterian parents. It’s not completely untrue; he does appreciate the structure and clarity of church life, but there’s more to Milo than his timidity and anti-social inclinations. Like what happened at camp three years ago—or what almost happened, anyway—something he’d be happier burying forever. Except now, like a bad omen from the heavens, Marcos Price has come back into his life, and once they’re face to face, the earth literally moves. The more the boys explore their feelings for each other, the more the natural disasters pile up. Milo becomes convinced God is punishing him for being gay. Now he must decide whether being with Marcos is worth it if it means the world is going to end. Milo’s journey is sincere and moving, written in engaging prose and wrapped up in a satisfying conclusion. Characters are well-rounded and believable, and it’s impossible not to root for them to get their happy endings. Milo is White; Van is Puerto Rican, and Marcos is White and Cuban.
A funny, sweet, and emotional navigation of faith and queerness. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: May 24, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-306256-6
Page Count: 384
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2022
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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