This lightweight, romantic teen novel floats atop a tour of New York City. Like oil and water, the two don't mix well. Westsider Kendra Kaye (14) and her cheeky little brother Oscar ("So what does S.W.A.K. mean? She Was A Kangaroo?") are saddled for part of the summer with Frank (15), a Wisconsin farm boy from a troubled family. Rather than have the young folk sit around, their parents present them with a sort of scavenger hunt, a list of things to do, places to visit, cuisines to sample and questions about NYC to answer; they'll have to scramble, but if they get through the list their reward is a trip to England. Despite some obstacles, Frank and Kendra hit it off, and by the end of the summer their friendship has become something more intense. This much Danziger handles in her usual cheery, sympathetic way, with plenty of rapid-fire puns delivered by a cast of sane characters willing to recognize problems and talk things out. The travelog doesn't come off so well. The list is confined to Manhattan places below about 125th Street (they go to a Mets game, but that's an afterthought), so readers get only a tourist's-eye view of the city, and except for an excited visit to the set of All My Children and a sobering one to the Jewish Museum, the characters', reactions range from "Awesome!" to "It is so sad." Most of the meals, performances, museums, and sights are hardly noticed, much less described. The author does communicate an upbeat, positive impression of life in the Big Apple, but it's a vague impression, from a single angle.
Pub Date: Sept. 4, 1987
ISBN: 0698116941
Page Count: 164
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: April 19, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1987
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
A clever and timely conversation on reclaiming identity and acknowledging one’s full worth.
Superman confronts racism and learns to accept himself with the help of new friends.
In this graphic-novel adaptation of the 1940s storyline entitled “The Clan of the Fiery Cross” from The Adventures of Superman radio show, readers are reintroduced to the hero who regularly saves the day but is unsure of himself and his origins. The story also focuses on Roberta Lee, a young Chinese girl. She and her family have just moved from Chinatown to Metropolis proper, and mixed feelings abound. Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane’s colleague from the Daily Planet, takes a larger role here, befriending his new neighbors, the Lees. An altercation following racial slurs directed at Roberta’s brother after he joins the local baseball team escalates into an act of terrorism by the Klan of the Fiery Kross. What starts off as a run-of-the-mill superhero story then becomes a nuanced and personal exploration of the immigrant experience and blatant and internalized racism. Other main characters are White, but Black police inspector William Henderson fights his own battles against prejudice. Clean lines, less-saturated coloring, and character designs reminiscent of vintage comics help set the tone of this period piece while the varied panel cuts and action scenes give it a more modern sensibility. Cantonese dialogue is indicated through red speech bubbles; alien speech is in green.
A clever and timely conversation on reclaiming identity and acknowledging one’s full worth. (author’s note, bibliography) (Graphic fiction. 13-adult)Pub Date: May 12, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-77950-421-0
Page Count: 240
Publisher: DC
Review Posted Online: Feb. 29, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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