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
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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