A delightfully authentic story about friendship, love, and taking chances.
Alfie Parker is totally gay and totally fine going to prom by himself.
His best friend, Jasminder Cheema, who has her life together, is going with Joe Chan, one of the hottest boys in school—because of course she is. But when Jas surprises Alfie one morning with the news that their school’s golden couple, Harvey Ledger and Summer Gray, have broken up, everything changes. Harvey and Summer have been inseparable for years, and now they’ve split up just four days before prom. Despite Harvey’s presenting as straight, Alfie has had a quiet crush on him for years. So when Jas encourages Alfie to ask Harvey to be his date for prom, he does the most un-Alfie thing he can think of: He gets up the courage to invite Harvey to join him. To his immense surprise and pleasure, Harvey accepts. In short chapters that advance the plot at a swift pace, this work for reluctant readers that uses a dyslexia-friendly font explores relatable themes of popularity, sexuality, friendship, and identity. This sweet and accessible novel about potential romance and being true to yourself is a strong narrative that’s sure to engage readers and leave them wanting more. Alfie and Harvey are cued as white.
A delightfully authentic story about friendship, love, and taking chances. (Romance. 13-18)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
ISBN: 9781454960317
Page Count: 120
Publisher: Union Square & Co.
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
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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