A genre-bending mystery at its best when showcasing its relatable young protagonist.
A teen who lacks superpowers (which everyone else has) turns amateur sleuth to investigate a murder in this second installment of Ford’s YA series.
Paley Curtis’s last summer before beginning high school isn’t terribly exciting. Her job is boring, and she lives with a family of six in a scorching, unairconditioned apartment. By the age of 15, Paley’s “talent” should have revealed itself, but unlike her peers, she still has no supernatural ability. Even so, she investigates a fatal shooting she witnessed some time ago, though she didn’t see the shooter. In the course of her sleuthing, Paley notices someone following her wherever she goes—three someones, actually. She suspects they’re spies for Dillon-Cray Engineering executive Stan Lemmelson, who believes she’s a “sparkie” able to generate electricity. She’s not, but her best friend, Jen, is; so Paley keeps quiet to protect her. The savvy, resourceful Paley has to worry about herself, too, when she is targeted for abduction. Ford’s story, which includes copious nods to past events and characters, assumes readers are familiar with the previous book in this series. The adolescent hero is immensely likable, persistent, and coolheaded as she evades the followers on her trail. Paley’s most notable villain is a school bully, and there’s clearly trouble in her parents’ marriage, quotidian concerns more compelling than the fantastical superpowers on display. Paley’s murder case doesn’t fully engage, in part because it’s a carryover from the last entry in the series. Nevertheless, Ford’s effervescent passages propel the story and conjure lyrical moments, as when Paley is caught in a storm with her best friend: “Car-sized wisps of cloud were flying down the dirt road, following the contours of the ground.” This sequel, with its decisive conclusion, implies the series’ end.
A genre-bending mystery at its best when showcasing its relatable young protagonist.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 353
Publisher: Manuscript
Review Posted Online: May 8, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
BOOK REVIEW
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