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KIKI IN THE MIDDLE

An entry point for reluctant readers to explore the personal side of social justice issues.

After her rookie cop brother shoots an unarmed man in Queens, rising 10th grader Kiki investigates.

Aspiring Greek American artist Kiki Pantazis goes with her friends to a protest. There, she sees someone holding a photo of her brother, Stavros, labeled #MURDERER. She learns that he fatally shot Ray Brennan, an unarmed schizophrenic man who is cued as White, claiming that he was acting in self-defense. Her friends want Kiki to join the protest against police violence, but Kiki is reluctant out of loyalty to her family even though she knows that Stavros isn’t always a good guy. Kiki decides to find out for herself what happened, learning about the dangers often faced by mentally ill people and seeking out Ray’s parents for their side of the story. Meanwhile, she decides to work through her feelings by painting a mural on the wall of her mother’s bakery—of Stavros and Ray, with the identical bikes they both owned and loved—with help from other students in her summer art class. Kiki’s shift from only drawing in black and white to incorporating color into her art mirrors her growing recognition of real-world complexities. This novel in verse may appeal to teens interested in the social commentary and therapeutic aspects of art, though some may find the messaging heavy-handed and question the tastefulness of the mural’s content.

An entry point for reluctant readers to explore the personal side of social justice issues. (glossary) (Verse novel. 12-18)

Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-978596-06-1

Page Count: 200

Publisher: West 44 Books

Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2022

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IF HE HAD BEEN WITH ME

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

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INDIVISIBLE

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

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