With well-developed characters, Littman explores growth and personal relationships alongside pain, mental illness, and...
Stella Walker’s brother, Rob, is home from Afghanistan.
But Rob, a U.S. Marine, has changed—he’s moody, angry, and anything can set him off. His parents are worried and focus all their attention on him. Stella isn’t talking to anyone about what’s going on at home—not even her best friend, Farida. Their local mayor is running for governor of Virginia, blaming immigrants and refugees for the state’s economic problems. Some of Stella’s classmates agree with the mayor—and when his son, Chris, decides to run for class president, Farida encourages Stella to run too. Although Farida, a Muslim Iraqi-American, wanted to run herself, her parents worried about her safety in the current political climate. When Rob becomes angry and assaults a boy who is bullying a Sikh teen, not only does he face charges, but the Walker family is targeted by hateful elements in the community who believe they support “terrorists.” Farida and her family are also drawn into the controversy. Which “truth” will the community believe? Littman (Fairest of Them All, 2017, etc.) skillfully reveals Rob’s thoughts and feelings as a veteran desperately waiting for help from the VA, while also intertwining Stella’s perspective as a white girl who is growing in her understanding of her own identity.
With well-developed characters, Littman explores growth and personal relationships alongside pain, mental illness, and social issues—showing how people can come together to heal. (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 9, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-338-17748-0
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 16, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018
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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