Standouts for queering the world of fiction for reluctant readers.
Two Vancouver-area teens struggle with putting labels on themselves.
In You’re You, Freyja has just been dumped by her girlfriend, Rachel, who thinks Freyja is too much of a spotlight-hogger (both girls are white). A vlogger and gay-straight alliance leader with a growing following, Freyja is exhausted by how many people reach out after Rachel announces they’ve broken up, but when she considers stress eating, that prompts a web search—what do poor people do when they can’t afford to stress eat?! She decides to volunteer at a food bank, but the real learning experience isn’t about poverty—it’s coming to terms with feeling attracted to Indian-Canadian Sanjay, the team leader, when she’s always considered herself a lesbian. Filled with pop-culture references that already seem dated, this hi-lo novel otherwise handles Freyja’s learning experiences reasonably well. True to You, by Tony Correia (Same Love, 2017, etc.), tells the story of Portuguese-Canadian wrestler Jorge, whose relationship with his first boyfriend, Thom (who is black), is strained because of socio-economic differences (Jorge is from a working-class family and Thom’s is wealthy and status-conscious) as well as Jorge’s decision to take steroids to further his wrestling career. There is nuance in the appropriately lower reading level in both books, however they falter when it comes to shifts in time, and readers may be confused as to how quickly feelings change and decisions are made.
Standouts for queering the world of fiction for reluctant readers. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Aug. 14, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4594-1258-3
Page Count: 184
Publisher: James Lorimer
Review Posted Online: July 29, 2018
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
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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