A good read with a clear message about authenticity.
Sixteen-year-old Chicago mural artist Blaine is devastated when Joey, his senior-class-president boyfriend, dumps him on their one-year anniversary.
To win Joey back and prove he can be the more serious person Joey wants, junior Blaine gives up his painting job, changes his style, and enters the running for senior class president. With just two days left to gather signatures and prepare a speech—just for a chance to get on the ballot—Blaine recruits his best friend, Trish, as his campaign captain. Also helping are Trish’s girlfriend, Camilla, and student council member Danny. After talking to fellow students, Blaine and his team base their campaign around mental health. It seems like a miracle when Blaine manages to win student council approval and become an official candidate. Something strange is afoot, however, as Zach, Joey’s new boyfriend and Blaine’s election opponent, appoints Joey’s close friend Ashtyn as his campaign captain, and Trish suspects there’s something fishy about the election results. Matters grow ever more complicated as Blaine struggles with his growing feelings for Danny, his desire to return to painting, and the version of himself he thinks Joey wants. A slow start builds up to a fast-paced second half, and Blaine’s conflict between remaining true to himself versus becoming a seemingly more mature, serious person forms a relatable backdrop to the plot. Most central characters default to White; Trish is Black, and Danny is Vietnamese American.
A good read with a clear message about authenticity. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: April 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5344-9746-7
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 25, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2022
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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