A touching novel that follows a 14-year-old as she becomes intrigued by a homeless, disturbed vet and tries to "help" him. Underachiever Kelly plans to be an artist—a real one, not just a drawer of greeting cards like her mother. She certainly is not going to turn into a materialistic lawyer like her father. When she has to write a paper on a current issue, she chooses homeless people and starts watching a man in the public library. She first approaches him in a typical teen-ager's Flippant, mocking manner, until stopped by a librarian who firmly tells her to mind her own business. Feeling a mixture of embarrassment, concern, and a wish to prove that she is not really heartless, Kelly then tries to force the man to talk and accept food and clothing. Eventually, he becomes so upset that he throws a magazine at her, giving the people who have been repelled by his smell and strangeness an excuse to forbid him access to the library. Shortly afterwards, when the man is run over and killed, Kelly has to deal with some strong guilt feelings. In trying to sort out her emotions, she quarrels with her father—a vet who has blocked his own memories. Finally, Kelly and her father take a trip together to the Vietnam Memorial; while in Washington, they each manage to do some healing. Kelly is a believable young woman with strengths and weaknesses that are clear to the reader, if not to herself—she's not ridiculous or unlikable, just a normal girl with quirks. Her mixture of compassion and anger is well drawn. The fact that many teenagers are fascinated by the Vietnam War and its consequences may give this novel a fairly wide appeal.
Pub Date: Sept. 23, 1988
ISBN: 0380707640
Page Count: 196
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 27, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1988
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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
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