A charming rom-com with community at its heart.
Two internet enemies team up to try to save their Chinatown community.
Under the username Hibiscus, 18-year-old Clementine Chan runs Babble Tea, a blog with a loyal following in which she reviews local tea spots. Danny Mok, aka Bobaboy888, is not a fan, however. What Clementine intends to be helpful suggestions to modernize and remain competitive in a changing world, Danny reads as Whitewashing to suit the tastes of influencers and gentrifiers. Then, shocking news hits that a mega-corporation is angling to take over the Chinatown strip mall where Fragrant Leaves, Danny’s family’s teahouse, is situated, and editor-in-chief of the school paper Clementine connects with activist nonprofit Chinatown Cares. Usually one to avoid conflict, Danny decides to join this community organizing initiative against the property purchase. As the classmates get closer in real life, they continue to trade barbs online. What will happen to their burgeoning romance when they discover the truth behind their online personas? Through her protagonists, Blackburne explores idealism versus pragmatism—and the need for a little of both. Both teens have their judgments and preconceptions, but they ultimately have productive, eye-opening conversations. Through canvassing, tabling, helping plan a rally, and spending time together, the pair learn to use their voices in new ways. Gentrification is explored as Clementine considers her family’s residence in a new, upscale Chinatown apartment building. Ruminations on online spaces, including the ease of fostering misunderstanding and volatility, make this a resonant read.
A charming rom-com with community at its heart. (Romance. 13-18)Pub Date: July 18, 2023
ISBN: 9780063229891
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023
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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