Heartfelt and authentically grounded; a must-read.
An undocumented Brazilian immigrant navigates life in 2011 Framingham, Massachusetts.
Sixteen-year-old Mateus Franco—or Matt, which is easier for Americans—left Brazil when he was only 6, arriving with his family on a tourist visa. He still speaks a little Portuguese, but he feels far enough removed from Brazil that moving back wouldn’t be his first choice. Matt’s group of friends—Fa, Diana, and Pedro—are so close to his heart they might as well be a second family. They’re all Brazilian, and they share the everyday struggles that undocumented children can’t help being burdened by. While their classmates are thinking about ordinary teen milestones, they’re focusing on living in the present because tomorrow is uncertain. But now Matt is forced to confront his deepest feelings and desires in the form of James Alberte, the new transfer student. He’s immediately attracted to “dimple boy,” and their chemistry is through the roof. Matt is tired of being closeted, but “the not knowing how people would handle [his] truth [keeps him] from living it.” When Fa and Diana came out as lesbian, Matt’s dad asked if he thought of “hooking up with both of them.” With his dad increasingly exhausted by the limitations of life as an undocumented person and talking about returning to Brazil, life at home isn’t easy. This novel is brilliantly executed, threaded through with linguistic gems and deeply rooted in both Brazilian culture and the mind of a teenage boy.
Heartfelt and authentically grounded; a must-read. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 17, 2025
ISBN: 9781625677204
Page Count: 280
Publisher: JAB Books
Review Posted Online: today
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
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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