A sweet and uplifting novel for reluctant readers.
Astrid struggles through her dramatically changed life, learning how to balance work, school, robotics club, and new love.
A year ago, Astrid’s parents lost their jobs, the house, and all their savings, completely upending her life. She had been a carefree teen with a loving girlfriend, Ivy. Now she works every spare moment at a frozen yogurt shop, scrounging tips and saving her meager pay while handling abusive customers, all in the hope of attending university. Unfortunately, when Astrid joins a youth-led robotics team sponsored by the University of British Columbia, she finds that Ivy’s new boyfriend, Karsyn, is already a member. As Astrid struggles with extra work shifts and robotics meetings with the increasingly patronizing Karsyn, she starts to notice a girl named Bernie, their confident team captain. While Astrid’s inner narration is sometimes clunky, her maturation and evolving sense of self are realistic and easy to follow. Similarly, the discussions of stress, money issues, family, and gender roles add important layers to the simple plot. The robotics competition is not fleshed out in detail but provides an entertaining backdrop to Astrid’s growth as well as a parallel between their creations and love interest Bernie, who may be neurodivergent. Their romance is slow and satisfying but would have benefited from further exploration. Astrid is assumed White; Bernie is cued as East Asian, and names signal ethnic diversity in the supporting cast.
A sweet and uplifting novel for reluctant readers. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-4594-1586-7
Page Count: 168
Publisher: James Lorimer
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2022
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
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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