A fast-paced sports novel for reluctant readers that sacrifices depth for action.
Tae attempts to fit in at a new school and on a new soccer team.
When Tae’s family moves, not only does he have to adjust to prestigious Westgate High, but he and his brother, both adopted from Korea by their White American parents, stick out in their ethnically homogeneous neighborhood. Previously the team star, Tae pushes through excruciating varsity tryouts, hazing, racist bullying, and an intense, self-inflicted personal training regimen. Tae’s struggle to become a Westgate Warrior mirrors his need to fit in as a racial minority in a mostly White school. As the annual hazing ritual turns dangerous, Tae must choose between staying silent to protect the team and telling the truth. The terse, snappy narration from Tae’s point of view is accessible and immersive. The frenetic soccer games will be best appreciated by fans who understand the sport’s positions, strategy, and lingo. Tae’s perspective enhances the straightforward depiction of hazing as he analyzes his own sense of self-worth as it is tied to membership in a team amid bullying and familial and social pressures. The quick pace keeps the action going for plot-oriented readers but prevents deeper relationship development. Similarly, subjects such as developing new friendships, adoption and family dynamics, racism and belonging, and others have potential but could have been handled with more complexity.
A fast-paced sports novel for reluctant readers that sacrifices depth for action. (Verse novel. 12-18)Pub Date: June 14, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-9785-9599-6
Page Count: 200
Publisher: West 44 Books
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A high-concept premise that falls short in its execution.
A teenage girl finds herself alone after everyone else in her town mysteriously disappears, leaving her scrambling to figure out how to find them all.
One late summer day, everybody in July Fielding’s town disappears. She is left to piece together what happened, following a series of cryptic signs she finds around town urging her to “GET THEM BACK.” The narrative moves back and forth between July’s present and the events of the summer before, when her relationship with her best friend, cross-country team co-captain Sydney, starts to fracture due to a combination of jealousy over July’s new relationship with a cute boy called Sam and sweet up-and-coming freshman Ella’s threatening to overtake Syd’s status as star of the track team. The team members participate in a ritual in which they jump off a cliff into the rocky waters below at the end of their Friday practice runs. Though Ella is reluctant, Syd pressures her to jump. Short, frenetically paced sections move the story along quickly, and there is much foreshadowing pointing to something terrible that occurred at the end of that summer, which may be the key to July’s current predicament, but there is much misdirection too. Ultimately this is a story without enough setup to make the turn the book takes in the end feel fully developed or earned. All characters read white.
A high-concept premise that falls short in its execution. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2023
ISBN: 9780593327173
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
A great read offering entertainment, encouragement, and plenty to reflect upon.
A gay teen contends with time travel—and homophobia through the decades.
All Cuban American Luis wants is to be prom king with his boyfriend, but tiny upstate New York boarding school Antic Springs Academy, with its strict, Christian code of conduct, won’t even let them hold hands in public. After a disastrous prom committee meeting at which his attempt to make the event welcoming of queer couples is rejected by the principal, Luis gets quite literally knocked into the past—specifically, ASA in the year 1985. There he meets Chaz, a Black student who attended the school at the same time as Luis’ parents and who died under mysterious circumstances after being bullied for his sexuality. Luis now faces a choice between changing the past to help Chaz and preserving his own future existence. Fortunately, he has Ms. Silverthorn, a Black English teacher and beloved mentor, who offers him support in both timelines. The narrative explores the impacts of homophobia and being closeted, remaining optimistic without shying away from the more brutal aspects. Luis is a multifaceted character with an engaging voice whose flaws are confronted and examined throughout. The solid pacing and pleasant, fluid prose make this a page-turner. Luis’ boyfriend is cued as Chinese American, and his best friend is nonbinary; there is some diversity in ethnicity and sexuality in background characters, although the school is predominantly White.
A great read offering entertainment, encouragement, and plenty to reflect upon. (author's note) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0710-5
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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