High-action, high-concept stories for reluctant readers who want grit.
Uprooted from the Philippines to Canada, 16-year-old Angelo struggles to connect with his mother and resist toxic pressure from friends.
For almost 10 years, Angelo’s mother, Yvonne, has been working overseas to provide for their family, but that doesn’t stop him from resenting her for her absence. Struggling with homesickness and trying to navigate his new life, Angelo finds acceptance with a group of Filipino boys who make a hobby out of stealing. Warring with the good and bad influences in his life, Angelo must decide what path he’ll take. The other titles in this series also focus on troubled teens confronting the ramifications of their reckless actions. In Locked Up by Cristy Watson (Room 555, 2019, etc.), 17-year-old Kevin is offered early probation but is weighed down by the guilt of harming another person during a joyride. In Push Back by Karen Spafford-Fitz (Unity Club, 2018, etc.), 16-year-old Zaine’s anger over his mother’s abandonment leads him to lose control and break the law. On the Run by debut author Marilyn Anne Holman features 17-year-old Ryan, who gets caught up in a crime scene and bolts to avoid returning to juvie. Each of these stories focuses on remorse, forgiveness, and change. Most of the titles feature ethnic diversity. While the plots may be predictable, character growth is present and the stories highlight important subjects such as treatment within youth detention centers and difficulties experienced by immigrants.
High-action, high-concept stories for reluctant readers who want grit. (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4594-1379-5
Page Count: 192
Publisher: James Lorimer
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
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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