A poignant, heartbreaking tale that will keep reluctant readers riveted.
A pregnant teen undergoes a harrowing journey in a county juvenile shelter in this accessibly written, drama-filled novel.
High school senior Ashley Muller has moved with her divorced mother to a small town several hours away from Milwaukee. Her mom, who became pregnant with Ashley at 16, didn’t go to college, but she hopes that Ashley will stay focused and get a degree. After Ashley discovers she’s pregnant with ex-boyfriend Danny Morales’ child, she decides she’ll keep the baby. Her mom (who was pressured by her own religious parents to give Ashley up for adoption) is concerned for Ashley’s future and at first suggests an abortion. After their landlord evicts them, Ashley stays with Madi Wendt, a wealthy friend who offers her Xanax for a panic attack. When Ashley takes it again to help her sleep, she seeks mental health support from a doctor, who pressures her to enter an in-patient rehab center. Ashley refuses, and the police take her into custody for child neglect. Meanwhile, Danny takes his paternal responsibilities seriously, getting a job and saving for the baby. This believably told story thoughtfully examines inequities that leave a caring teen mother without support while purporting to protect her child. Ashley’s inspiration from the ballet The Firebird is woven throughout this important work about a young woman who doesn’t give up despite tremendous odds. Ashley and Madi read white; Danny is cued Latine.
A poignant, heartbreaking tale that will keep reluctant readers riveted. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781631638374
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Jolly Fish Press
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
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
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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