Sparks fly when the mysterious, smooth-talking, eye-liner’d Garret Johnson moves in for a month with the very Bradylike household of sparring twins Kyle and Judy Renneker. It’s unclear at the outset as to why the twins hate each other so much—all readers know is that Kyle is openly gay and Judy is seemingly pursuing a cute boy by carrying around a Bible. Garret, however, is an artist-in-training who wears all black and has strange phone conversations with someone he claims is his vampire mentor. Both twins seem dubious, but he somehow manages to seduce them into modeling for his sketches in various stages of undress. Soon, the twins are at each other’s throats trying to decide which one he likes the best. What Ryan loses in hackneyed plotting he makes up for in character development. Garret, Kyle and Judy, as well as the rest of the Renneker family, are all sharply portrayed, and readers will definitely feel a sense of belonging as they read their story. Ryan also injects plenty of lusty longing and (mostly tame but for the language is) seduction scenes that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. The conclusion isn’t quite as much fun as the characters’ journeys, but readers will definitely have lots to think about once they’ve finished. (Romantic thriller. 14 & up)
Pub Date: March 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-545-22128-3
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 10, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2011
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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