Centurion Alexios Flavius Aquila, nephew of the Dux Britanniarum (Roman Governor of Northern Britain) and therefore, at 23, second in command of a fort, becomes first when the commander is killed in a raid by native tribes. Against standing orders and the advice of an older and wiser subordinate, Alexios panics and orders a retreat that proves disastrous. In disgrace, then, he is sent to command a Northern outpost of Frontier Wolves, most recruited from neighboring tribes and together a close-knit, rough, and independent unit with its own determined ways. Alexios, though, has learned to heed the comments of his officers and the moods and customs of his men—and so, in strong, expertly modulated scenes, he gains their respect, obtains his own wolf cloak as the others have, and wins the friendship of Cunorix, eldest son of the local chieftain and soon chieftain himself. The trouble comes a year after Alexios' arrival, when an insensitive new Praepositus (regional commander) arrives for an inspection tour. His beautiful horse is stolen "half in jest" by Cunorix's impetuous brother Connla, and the Praepositus has Connla executed in retaliation. Thus it is that, when invading tribes attack the fort next morning, Cunorix's local tribesmen are among them. This time, it takes "almost more courage than [Alexios] possessed" to order evacuation, and as much endurance to shepherd the men to safety, wounded and all, through much battling and one inevitably tragic man-to-man contest between Alexios and his friend Cunorix. As always, Sutcliff brings the frontier society of "wolves" and tribesmen to powerful, three-dimensional life and makes their trials and decisions matter urgently.
Pub Date: April 14, 1981
ISBN: 1590785940
Page Count: 254
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1981
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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