While the swearing, sex and drug use proclaim this an issues book for older teens, the heart is very much in the...
Tate’s crew are all skateboarders, but it’s his little brother Indy who has the talent—and also a taste for drugs and rebelling against their straight-laced dad.
In their neighborhood, Tate has learned to use his fists and let his anger fly when he sees injustice. But he doesn’t do drugs—not since the overdose death of fellow border Cutter, likely a suicide, one year ago. Devastated by the loss, Tate has aligned with his father, but he frantically worries about his brother when their father throws him out. The inflexible father, the call of drug-induced numbness and the evil of the dealer: They have all been done before, along with the antihero who fights for justice against all odds. What distinguishes this take is the skateboarding, the tricks and competition, as well as the camaraderie. Throw in a little romance, swearing, fistfights and some skanky sex scenes, plus a few adults whose dedication to the well-being of teens shines through, and you’ve got a book that pulls through despite its clichés. Action centers around the Monster, “the biggest, deepest, craziest skate bowl in Spokane, and the state of Washington for that matter.”
While the swearing, sex and drug use proclaim this an issues book for older teens, the heart is very much in the after-school-special camp, with a satisfying resolution never in doubt. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 13, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-375-86646-3
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 11, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2012
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
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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