Nevertheless, that impact is still made, and Cade and Dara’s struggle to be together shines.
Overcoming a slow start and a cacophony of voices, this novel combines adventure and romance into an engaging read.
While their fellow seniors head to Orlando for spring break, Dara and her boyfriend, Josh, decide to camp in the Daniel Boone National Forest. The forest is home to trees, animals—and a teenager named Cade, who has lived there since his parents fled from society 15 years before. When he sees Dara, Cade is entranced, and the feeling is mutual once they meet. A bear attack forces Dara and Josh to bring an injured Cade out of the forest and into society. Dubbed the Primitive Boy once the story breaks, Cade is left reeling by this strange new world. Only Dara can help him…and that’s what Dara wants, too. The connection between them is undeniable, but it’s a struggle to nurture a romance under such conditions. To be together, will they choose to live in the woods or in the world? The story doesn’t really start until the bear attack occurs. Mallory tells her story in multiple voices; the choice to go beyond Cade and Dara to include other characters’ perspectives facilitates the sharing of information with readers yet dilutes the emotional impact.
Nevertheless, that impact is still made, and Cade and Dara’s struggle to be together shines. (Adventure/romance. 14-18)Pub Date: July 8, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-06-221874-2
Page Count: 448
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2014
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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