Readers will find favorite tales of mermaid lore in this collection, brimming with myth and magic.
A seaworthy anthology featuring stories as original as they are enchanting by a range of beloved YA authors.
This inclusive anthology welcomes readers into worlds where mermaids long for acceptance, fall in love, and ignite social change. In Adriana Herrera’s “Sea Wolf in Prince’s Clothing,” a siren living in an archipelago of seven kingdoms where her people are forced to breed is determined to avenge her sister, who died at the hands of an evil prince. Katherine Locke’s “Nor’Easter” tells the story of a Polish immigrant family’s survival during the Great Nor’Easter of 1962, aided by Lem, a mer who feels trapped by a deadname in a “body that feels foreign.” “The Deepwater Vandal,” by Darcie Little Badger, follows Cassia as she enlists the help of a dangerous sea-born criminal and tries to find her father, who was transformed into a leviathan. Julian Winters’ “We’ll Always Have June” is a story of romance and growth in which Cyrus, a merboy with deep brown skin and dark locs, rescues Kai from drowning. These entries are particular standouts, but each one offers a take on mermaids that expands the literature portraying these well-loved cryptids. Themes of self-discovery and bonds with nature recur throughout this anthology that features effortless and extensive queer representation.
Readers will find favorite tales of mermaid lore in this collection, brimming with myth and magic. (contributor biographies) (Anthology. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781250823816
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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
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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