A quick and entertaining novel full of hijinks and sports that may be just what reluctant readers are after.
Baseball and bullies rule in a comedic YA novel populated by everyday and eccentric kids.
The middle school students of this country town have a common problem, and that problem’s name is Billy Murdock. Reluctant hero Gale Wickers would like to steer clear of Billy, which looks possible until Gale’s father signs him up for Little League, and Billy Murdock is on the team. Billy is pretty sinister for a kid: He whacks dead birds with a bat, makes unnerving jokes about Gale’s mother and has strange moments of composure in organized sport. Gale’s character would benefit from some of the full development bestowed upon Billy, as Gale never finds the necessary charisma most beloved YA characters possess. But with a wide cast of freaks and geeks—the nerdy Denny, the tall tomboy Wendy, the bonnet-donning Mennonite Bekah—Gale has enough friends to outwit Billy, who quits one team for another, leading to a classic showdown on the baseball diamond. Smith’s writing occasionally caters to the grosser interests of teens, with references to vomit, chewing tobacco, poop, jock straps and female anatomy. At least the boob jokes are countered by the presence of teammates Wendy and Bekah, girls who know themselves and their baseball. The most dynamic characters come from Smith's effort to include underrepresented teens into the mix, as the deaf Alex and spiritual Bekah bring the team together. Lacking, though, is the romantic tension of a crush Gale speaks of but never acts on, a sort of place marker for the real crushes that color most adolescences. The novel maintains a terrific pace, the plot speeding through a hilarious baseball season, tightly wound by the question of what stunt Billy will try and pull next. But this pacing is also a downside; Smith’s lack of time on spent on Gale and the other characters makes them less memorable.
A quick and entertaining novel full of hijinks and sports that may be just what reluctant readers are after.Pub Date: March 22, 2012
ISBN: 9781466227101
Page Count: 190
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: July 10, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression.
After surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself.
Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis, a white girl living on the margins, thinks she has little reason to live: her father drowned himself; her bereft and abusive mother kicked her out; her best friend, Ellis, is nearly brain dead after cutting too deeply; and she's gone through unspeakable experiences living on the street. After spending time in treatment with other young women like her—who cut, burn, poke, and otherwise hurt themselves—Charlie is released and takes a bus from the Twin Cities to Tucson to be closer to Mikey, a boy she "like-likes" but who had pined for Ellis instead. But things don't go as planned in the Arizona desert, because sweet Mikey just wants to be friends. Feeling rejected, Charlie, an artist, is drawn into a destructive new relationship with her sexy older co-worker, a "semifamous" local musician who's obviously a junkie alcoholic. Through intense, diarylike chapters chronicling Charlie's journey, the author captures the brutal and heartbreaking way "girls who write their pain on their bodies" scar and mar themselves, either succumbing or surviving. Like most issue books, this is not an easy read, but it's poignant and transcendent as Charlie breaks more and more before piecing herself back together.
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression. (author’s note) (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-101-93471-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
