An engrossing tale full of appealing characters, foodie elements, and heart.
An aspiring teen chef breaks from stereotype to create her unique version of the American dream.
Jackie, a sophomore at competitive Bronx Science in New York City, would rather cook than study, much to the chagrin of her Korean American parents, for whom success is defined by entrance into the Ivy League. Happiness for Jackie is Fridays with her grandparents in Bayside. Together they watch Burn Off!, their favorite cooking show, and she works in their deli, Melty’s, on Saturdays, where she enjoys inventing new dishes. (Fans of Park’s previous outing, 2023’s Imposter Syndrome and Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim, may recognize the diner.) It’s at Melty’s that Jackie is scouted to audition for a new teen version of Burn Off!. She makes it onto the show, but the judges pigeonhole her, expecting her to cook Asian offerings, not the classical French cuisine she excels at. Can she convince them that she’s more than an ambassador for Korean food and assemble a winning meal representing the real, complicated Jackie Oh? Subtle layers of shame, sorrow, and pride within Jackie’s immigrant family ring true, and Jackie is thoroughly believable; her thoughts and dialogue feel snappy and fresh. A mild romantic interest appears but isn’t central to her story. Other characters, such as Jackie’s older brother, push back against the model minority trope, offering welcome evidence of the diversity of Asian American immigrant experiences.
An engrossing tale full of appealing characters, foodie elements, and heart. (recipes) (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: April 30, 2024
ISBN: 9780593563410
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
PERSPECTIVES
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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