Compelling and sensitive treatment of an important topic.
Smallville is rocked by a teen’s death and the arrival of a mercenary businessman.
High school student Clark Kent is walking to school with best friend Pete when a couple of police cars zoom by. Overheard comments made by shocked classmates appear in a constellation of thought bubbles around Clark’s head: Fellow student Alvin Buenaventura has died by suicide. Clark finds Amy, Alvin’s stunned sister, sitting outside the school office and offers his support. His friends Lana and Pete are sympathetic, but Clark, who is reeling from the news, is shocked by the callous reactions of Chloe and Gil. A relationship blossoms between Clark and Amy as she works through her grief, and he probes the tragedy for answers. At home on the farm, Clark’s parents provide grounding and sound advice. The plot thickens with the arrival of industrialist Lionel Luthor and his son, Lex, who faces off against Lana in a debate. Gil, meanwhile, worries his friends with his increasingly erratic behavior: Could he be following in Alvin’s footsteps? At a fall community festival, LutherCorp implements a sinister and destructive plan that only Clark can disable. Grace sensitively addresses the issue of adolescent depression and disaffection within the parameters of the Superman universe, deftly combining this personal story with a high-octane adventure plot. The clean lines and crisp, realistic artwork are a good match for the economical storytelling. Most characters appear white; Pete reads Black.
Compelling and sensitive treatment of an important topic. (Graphic fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2023
ISBN: 9781779511058
Page Count: 208
Publisher: DC
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
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
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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