With an ending that’s more hopefully ever after than happily, it’ll satisfy fans of 1980s-style coming-of-age stories who...
After her release from the mental hospital where she was treated after a suicide attempt, Brooke Danvers feels as if a part of her actually died while the rest was scooped out of the Black River by the old man who saw her jump in.
Her mother’s emphatically chipper, and her father’s standoffish, but her best friend, Duckie, is pitch-perfect in his support, protective of her and firm with her when she needs it. And though he’s got his eye on their fellow drama-department regular Tucker, he puts his friendship with Brooke first. A new guy, Derek, catches her eye, and she learns he also attempted suicide, which creates a bond that leads to a lightning-fast relationship. Derek is the stereotypical aqua-eyed, leather-clad, motorcycle-riding, guitar-playing, abusive, white bad boy that charms the inexperienced white girl, but in this story, Brooke breaks teen-lit convention by not being overcome by dangerous behavior. Issues of consent, stalking, violence, and tragic endings are met with a strong, negative response from Brooke and her friends. Though the prose suffers somewhat from reliance on eyebrow-peaking, lip-biting, and eye-rolling, the careful handling of suicidal ideation and abuse elevates it overall. The primary cast is largely white, but comfortably queer characters abound. An author’s note with resources precedes the story.
With an ending that’s more hopefully ever after than happily, it’ll satisfy fans of 1980s-style coming-of-age stories who wish the girls in them were more willing to walk away from abusive boys. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-06-245785-1
Page Count: 304
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
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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