An endearing story with memorable characters who will bring smiles to cat lovers.
Erixon chronicles the misadventures of and tender relationships between several generations of cats in this YA novel.
Tabby cats Terrence, aka Riser, and Phyllis, aka Dilly, are about to be rehomed. They have spent their lives as indoor cats, but now they find themselves in a carrier, in a strange car, with two little humans poking at them with their fingers; it’s all very unsettling. Soon, they are deposited on a garage floor, where the small humans gently pet them. Beyond the garage, the great outdoors begs to be explored. Life is good: They are well cared for, free to roam the farm, and, best of all, they have each other. Dilly discovers a stray cat injured by a rat trap in an open field’s tall grass. She begins to bring him food and decides to remain with him and a group of other strays. Riser is bereft without his sister. Enter Angel, a standoffish young calico in need of a new home, adopted to boost Riser’s spirits. When Angel’s brief dalliance in the woods with a stray leaves her pregnant, Riser is enchanted by her two kittens, Moonsie and Bandit: “Her family had become his family. And he promised himself he would do whatever was necessary to protect them.” Best for the younger range of YA readers, Erixon’s collection of cat tales offers an amusing and poignant portrayal of feline antics and diverse personalities, plus a few life lessons for humans. The narrative captures the animals’ devotion to one another through the generations; in one charming episode, the rambunctious Moonsie recklessly climbs a tall tree and Riser must guide him step by terrifying step back to safety. In another sweet moment, after baby kitten Chuck is brought into the fold, a grumpy Angel eventually softens and tenderly teaches him how to properly wash his face and check for debris between his toes. There are also tear-jerking losses, some peaceful and some decidedly less so.
An endearing story with memorable characters who will bring smiles to cat lovers.Pub Date: Nov. 10, 2022
ISBN: 9781039160897
Page Count: 162
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
PERSPECTIVES
Raw, delicate, and deeply caring.
When Death-Cast doesn’t call, fate intertwines the lives of two boys, both haunted by their pasts and with futures they can’t escape.
In this third installment of the series that opened with 2017’s They Both Die at the End, Paz Dario waits every night for Death-Cast to call—as it should have for his father nearly 10 years ago, when Paz shot him to save his mother’s life. But the call never comes. Death-Cast killed Paz’s dreams of an acting career: No one will hire him now because the world sees him as a villain. When Paz tries (not for the first time) to put an end to his suffering, an unexpected encounter with Alano Rosa, the heir of Death-Cast, stops him. Both in a place of desperation, Alano and Paz sign a contract to live for Begin Days instead of waiting for their End Days. As suspenseful and emotionally wrenching as the previous titles in the series, this new installment explores heavy themes of abuse, mental health, self-harm, and suicide. Paz grapples with a recent diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. Silvera surrounds Alano and Paz with a web of complex relationships. Although the protagonists fall fast for one another and form a deep connection over Alano’s desire to support Paz, Silvera emphasizes the importance of professional help. Both Alano and Paz have Puerto Rican heritage. The cliffhanger ending promises more to come.
Raw, delicate, and deeply caring. (content warning, resources) (Speculative fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780063240858
Page Count: 720
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
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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