Neatly done suspense enlivens the familiar plot.
It’s supposed to be an honor to make the Hottie List at her high school, but Kenzie worries that she and the other girls might be the targets of a serial killer.
Kenzie has always been a nerd, passionate about Latin, and has never seen herself as popular. She only wants to get into a good college, but she struggles with her overprotective mother, who’s unable to recover from the death of Kenzie’s older brother. When Kenzie learns she’s fifth on the list, which is compiled by the boys in her high school, she’s flattered but puzzled. Why did they choose her? Even more surprising, rich and handsome Josh begins to flirt with her and assumes she’ll easily agree to be his girlfriend, especially since Kenzie has had a crush on him since middle school. However, now Kenzie finds herself more attracted to Levi, a boy in trouble with the law. When girls on the list begin dying, she and Levi become suspicious. The two team up to try to learn what’s going on and uncover a conspiracy. St. Claire keeps the tension high as she slowly uncovers the mystery and builds to a thriller-level climax. Kenzie’s use of Latin throughout the book puts an intellectual veneer on a rather standard secret-society plot. Kenzie, Levi and Josh are particularly well-realized, but even some of the briefly mentioned girls on the list pop out as individuals.
Neatly done suspense enlivens the familiar plot. (Thriller. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-385-74271-9
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
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
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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