A vivid parable reminiscent of Francesca Lia Block.
A perpetually airborne girl catapults into a hot dog vendor’s life.
Eggs is not a bird but might as well be. She observes an unnamed metropolis from various perches on high, hopping around the city and occasionally “borrowing” clothes for warmth. One day Eggs (nicknamed because of her public service announcement T-shirt, reminding people to eat two servings a day) catches the eye of Grackle McCart, who runs a wildly popular food cart selling 100 varieties of hot dog. Soon, the two become close: Eggs swoops into Grackle’s life when it suits her, and he provides her with all the hot dogs she can eat. Both Grackle and Splendid Fairy Wren, an aging punk hippie who prefers her own company, are captivated by Eggs’ scattered and winsome charm and build their new friend a nest for cold weather, but a dangerous encounter proves Eggs can never be contained. Author and illustrator Lamb conjures an eccentric and original world of $5 punk hotels and multigenerational hot dog–business families and writes with a fantastical style that leaves readers perpetually wide-eyed in wonder. Characters are illustrated in vivid shades of red, blue, and green amid mostly black-and-white backdrops. Eggs and Wren are White; Grackle is Black.
A vivid parable reminiscent of Francesca Lia Block. (Graphic fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Nov. 10, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-55152-817-5
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Arsenal Pulp Press
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
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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