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
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
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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