An unexpected connection eases a young man’s loneliness in this vividly written tale.
An expert paperboy learns about himself while training a newcomer in this LGBTQ+ story for YA readers.
In 1945, on a blustery Christmas Eve after the end of World War II, an orphaned teenage paperboy name Leopold “Leo” Nicholson starts his day like any other, prepping his bundle of newspapers to hawk them on the snowy, wet streets of Chicago. Tony, his boss, asks him to take a new paperboy, Samuel Coleman, under his wing; Samuel is also an orphan, having recently lost his parents in a fire. Leo ignores Tony’s bigoted comment about Samuel’s heritage: “Can't trust a Jew, you know….Be friendly, just don’t get too close.” Leo immediately offers his condolences to the young man. As he and Samuel follow the routines of the day, they have an encounter with antisemitic bullies but also find a moment of beauty when some carolers sing. Leo generously invites Samuel to stay with him after their shift; when he finds out they have even more in common than just being orphans, his memory is flooded with emotions from his youth. Riddle writes in a prose style that follows a poetic linear form, eschewing long paragraphs for short groupings of narrative that add dark color to the sometimes-haunting landscape: “The dock was cold, but the streets were colder. Icy chilled winds blasted them, and as they inhaled together, Old Man Winter sucked the air right from them.” Although it’s a short work at just over 20 pages, Riddle includes secondary storylines that effectively connect to Leo in different ways. One gives the piece its title and draws on a feeling from Leo’s past that he realizes he must confront and accept. The other briefly follows the fate of a character whom Leo and Samuel encountered earlier in the day. The general storyline of orphaned newsboys in postwar America facing hardship is a familiar one, but the story goes to surprising places and highlights an underrepresented reality.
An unexpected connection eases a young man’s loneliness in this vividly written tale.Pub Date: March 29, 2021
ISBN: 9798730019737
Page Count: 24
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Oct. 2, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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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