Tender, balanced, and nuanced; a story to savor.
A scheduling complication shakes up the life of Korean American senior Eliza Park.
Overachiever Eliza is horrified that she’s been placed in Culinary Arts instead of AP Physics. At wealthy and competitive Highland Hills, this unweighted course may threaten her projected salutatorian status, especially since Eliza has no experience in the kitchen. Used to being the best, she’s immediately riled up by her assigned partner, experienced foodie Wesley Ruengsomboon, who’s Thai American. But perhaps Eliza’s exploration of recipes left by her recently passed halmeoni will help her reconnect with her grieving mother. Culinary Arts sets Eliza on a humbling journey of growth, not only in how she thinks about academics but also in her approach to relationships with family, friends, and Wesley, who becomes less annoying as she gets to know him. Debut author Lee beautifully explores these themes and more with humor and heart. Eliza is a charming narrator; she’s realistically flawed, and her self-awareness and efforts to improve are compelling. Through cooking lessons with her mom, Eliza begins to think deeply about her mother’s life experiences and the realities of immigration, giving her an impetus to reflect on her conflicted connection to South Korea and the relatives there she’s spent little time with. Eliza develops insights into the importance of communication and mutual support among friends, and she and Wesley challenge each other’s perceptions, particularly about how to measure success.
Tender, balanced, and nuanced; a story to savor. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9780063372634
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: today
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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