A fast-moving paranormal adventure for teens with heavy themes and an upbeat delivery.
In Moore’s YA debut, two brothers must come to terms with their inherited psychic powers and track down a killer before he can strike again.
Sixteen-year-old Hapkido black belt Will McCurty and his 20-year-old college student brother, Seth, live with their mother 40 miles outside Kansas City, Missouri. Eight years after their father, a police officer, was killed in the line of duty, their estranged grandmother appears and explains to Will that Seth, like their dad, is a “Bridge”—a human connection between the living and the dead. She goes on to say that Seth must bond with a “Keeper”—someone to protect him and remember what the dead say when they speak through him. It’s only after Will reluctantly agrees that he realizes that their grandma has herself passed on and is manifesting due to Seth’s power. The brothers’ new abilities take some getting used to. One desperate spirit possesses Seth completely, nearly killing Will when he mistakes him for his own murderer. Will, meanwhile, has developed an aura that brings him to the attention of Maureen “Reen” Gardener, his Wicca-practicing classmate and crush; however, the new status quo threatens to come between him and his best friend, Nico. As family friend Uncle Marcus mentors the siblings, they struggle to keep angry spirits at bay, uncover the truth behind a classmate’s disappearance, and bring a killer to justice. Moore relates the story with an assured blend of narrative prose, introspection, and teen-appropriate dialogue. From the outset, Will (the narrator) and Seth demonstrate a strong and endearing fraternal relationship that evokes the Hardy Boys, and their introduction to the supernatural world carries distinct Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? vibes, albeit with a darker edge. Supporting characters Reen, Nico, and Uncle Marcus add a grounding touch by exhibiting personality beyond mere plot function. The story’s antagonists are less nuanced, but this doesn’t detract from the rising sense of peril. Moore doesn’t invest much time in establishing setting, but the generic school environment and recurrent graveyards prove sufficient.
A fast-moving paranormal adventure for teens with heavy themes and an upbeat delivery.Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2023
ISBN: 9781633330696
Page Count: 352
Publisher: The Big Fig
Review Posted Online: July 10, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
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
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