A richly realized coming-of-age story about discovering one’s roots and the nuances of family relationships.
When Rudra Solace’s maternal grandmother from India visits his family in Patonga, New South Wales, he starts to question his identity and the familiarity he feels with a woman he had never met.
Will Didima help Rudra find his roots when life as he knows it is thrown into upheaval? Rudra is on summer break and has been spending his days surfing with his best friend, Maggs Briley—that is, when he’s not being forced to help his father, Cord, with the family fishing business. Cord, who is White, has a tight, invisible leash wound around his family, and both Rudra’s and his mother Nayna’s every action bears the shadow of Cord’s strong hold. Things change when Rudra discovers an unusual object while fishing, and soon he and his mother are off on an adventure to India. Grant captures the layers that come with multigenerational relationships. Lovely interactions between Rudra and his Didima—as well as the stories he hears about his own mother and who she was before she married Cord—give Rudra a strong character arc, from discovering there is more to life than fishing in a small town to being bullied, having his identity as a biracial person called into question, and owning both his Indian and Australian identities. This thoughtful book is reminiscent of Amitav Ghosh’s The Hungry Tide (2004).
A richly realized coming-of-age story about discovering one’s roots and the nuances of family relationships. (map) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-76063-187-1
Page Count: 288
Publisher: A & U Children/Trafalgar
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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