Another rote romantic tragedy.
A girl with a rare genetic condition that forces her to hide from the sun falls hard for a boy the summer after graduation.
In first grade, not long after her mother’s death, Katie Price was diagnosed with XP, or xeroderma pigmentosum. It’s a severe sensitivity to sunlight that leads to skin cancer and a painful death if she has any exposure to the sun. She lives a limited life, sequestered at home with her father, socializing with her only friend, sleeping during the day, and doing online schooling at night. But the solar shades blocking the UV light from her windows can’t stop her from noticing her crush, Charlie Reed, as he passes by. One night, Katie takes her guitar to the train station—a passionate musician, she longs for a larger audience than just her father. As fate would have it, Charlie is at the station, too. Soon, the two embark on the romance Katie had only dreamed of, meeting at night and exploring their small town. The problem is, she can’t bear to tell him about her illness, and it’s only a matter of time before he finds out. The romance is cloyingly sweet; Charlie’s perfection knows no bounds. Katie’s illness is often mentioned but its daily effects are rarely detailed, making it seem a distant threat, until, predictably, it isn’t. All characters are presumed white.
Another rote romantic tragedy. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-47357-6
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Poppy/Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 4, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
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
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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