An often engaging story of two teens’ emotional highs and lows.
A teenage surfer encounters a new boy who upends her life in Rizik’s YA novel.
Sixteen-year-old Kendra Dimes’ brother, Kyle, overdosed when she was 7; at the time, he was training to compete in the USA Surfing Prime West competition. Now, Kendra decides to compete in the same event in honor of her sibling. As a result, she doesn’t have much of social life; she sticks to school and surfing, and practices meditation to manage her anxiety. Meanwhile, Brock Parker, the new kid at school, sells drugs, likes to party, and dreams of buying an island with his best friend, Duke Larson.Kendra and Brock’s paths cross, and their initial friendship transforms into a consuming relationship that affects both of their lives, for better and for worse. At its core, this is a coming-of-age story, as Rizik familiarizes readers with the obstacles that Kendra and Brock have faced in their lives; Brock, for instance, had to give up playing music, which was his passion, to continue his parents’ shady business,and both he and Kendra were forced to move away from their hometowns. Along the way, readers get a clear view of how their decisions have affected their lives and forced them to mature. Brock and Kendra have a tendency to refer to themselves in demeaning ways (Kendra calls herself an “awkward loser”; Brock calls himself a “pussy”), and it’s a device that gets repetitive; however, it also serves as an effective reminder that they’re just teenagers trying to figure things out, and it adds to their character development. The overall plot is fairly predictable, in that one won’t be surprised when something bad eventually happens that tests the main characters’ bond. However, the twisty tale is entertaining enough at readers won’t mind such familiar beats.
An often engaging story of two teens’ emotional highs and lows.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-1-68463-087-5
Page Count: -
Publisher: SparkPress
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2021
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
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