A pat and somewhat clichéd conclusion luckily does not tarnish the rest of the narrative, which treats Pea’s mental health...
Elliot’s novel helps to fill a gap within teen narratives about disordered eating.
Sixteen-year-old Pea (so nicknamed by her father) has good days and bad days. She has avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, which makes consuming foods difficult and horrifyingly unpleasant. She feels as if she has a monster inside her, one that makes it difficult to be “normal”: it gives her social anxiety, causes depression, and makes eating in social situations a nightmare. But when she falls fast and hard for high school junior Ben, she feels different—happy—for the first time in forever. Although she starts therapy for her ARFID, she secretly stops taking her antidepressants, trying to privately keep the monster at bay. But soon the unmedicated Pea spirals with uncontrollable mood swings, disordered eating, and urges to self-harm. Despite endless support from Ben and others, it’s up to Pea to realize that true change can only start from within. The entirely second-person narration works, for the most part, to create a personal stake for readers in Pea’s journey as well as real empathy for Pea: “You want to appreciate food. You do. You just don’t know how. And you so badly want to learn.” With no specific cultural markers, both Pea and Ben read as white.
A pat and somewhat clichéd conclusion luckily does not tarnish the rest of the narrative, which treats Pea’s mental health struggles with care, nuance, and respect. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-374-30375-4
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Margaret Ferguson/Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Review Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2016
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
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
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