10/10 would recommend!
Bobby Ashton has a plan for the “perfect summer before college.” Too bad it’s already ended up in the drink—literally.
Bobby’s grand gesture—to profess his undying love to an older co-worker—results in a shattered bookstore window and his ending up soaked in the campus fountain. He loses his summer job, and his crush rejects him! So that he can at least keep his scholarship, his semi-famous and kind-of-retired sculptor mom gets roped into repurposing the broken glass into a statue that will be donated to the college. Meanwhile, Bobby finds another job at his Uncle Andy’s downtown used bookstore, which is in serious need of a facelift. Bobby thrives on planning and designing; he can take on the challenge of sprucing up the shop, especially as more customers come in for an always spot-on recommendation from the new bookseller—like new pansexual guy in town Luke, who peruses the romance section even though he claims “true love” is a flawed concept. Maybe Bobby’s summer can be salvaged, just like the broken glass? This fun read is ideal for romantics, pragmatists, book lovers, and underdogs alike. The appealing characters’ clever, sometimes snarky dialogue supplies readers with plenty of laughs. Bobby describes himself as “extra,” but he just wants to be appreciated for who he is: plus-size and gay. Bobby and Luke present white.
10/10 would recommend! (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2025
ISBN: 9781638931492
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Zando Young Readers
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2024
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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