An empowering journey of self-actualization and a look at the intimate bonds that shape a person.
A Canadian high school senior grapples with life after graduation and his nuanced identity.
Eighteen-year-old Adrian Carter is on the brink of greatness. He’s graduating high school with honors; he earned a coveted scholarship; he’s a youth mentor at the library; his multiracial friend group is supportive; and his punk rocker girlfriend, Melody Woods, loves him unconditionally. These are undisputed blessings in Adrian’s life, so why does the future—and all its infinite possibilities—freak him out? Not only is Adrian struggling with how to talk to his parents about his past eating disorder, but he’s hiding his decision to apply to Cape Breton University’s community studies program, which he prefers to the business administration degree his father is pushing. When Mel asks Adrian to join her band on a national tour, he’s torn. Although he’s unsure about looming adulthood, the punk scene hasn’t been welcoming to a sensitive Black introvert. As the summer surges ahead, Adrian begins to realize the quiet, radical power of letting go. In this stand-alone companion to Worthy of Love (2019), the lingering aftermath of Adrian’s struggles with bulimia is carefully and empathetically explored, particularly the damaging consequences of his dad’s toxic masculinity. Adrian and Mel’s relationship is grounded in mutual respect, and they experience similar identity issues, as Mel is Asian Indian and implied White, and Adrian’s parents are biracial (Black and White).
An empowering journey of self-actualization and a look at the intimate bonds that shape a person. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-4595-0681-7
Page Count: 200
Publisher: Formac
Review Posted Online: July 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2022
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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