Accessible and engaging, full of honest feeling.
A bullied, bulimic teen searches for self-love through kickboxing and romance.
Adrian tries to stay under the radar at his Canadian high school, dealing with his feelings by secretly binge-eating at home. But when the school bully torments him after a gym class weigh-in, Adrian decides to get fit. He begins kickboxing and meets an ambitious girl named Melody who is attracted to him. However, Adrian is convinced that he won’t deserve Mel’s love until he loses weight. He begins purging, which costs him happiness, energy, and the ability to pursue the activities and relationships that have finally made him feel worthy. By the end, Adrian opens up to Mel about his eating disorder and confronts the bully, but the true climax comes when he reckons with his self-perception. Adrian’s bulimia is sensitively addressed, but a rigid low-carb diet is portrayed as a healthier alternative, possibly triggering readers who struggle with balanced eating. A line indicating that it’s wrong to mock those trying to lose weight misses the point that it’s wrong regardless. Both Adrian and Melody are biracial, and they bond over both pride in their backgrounds and the prejudices they face (Adrian’s parents are both half black and half white, while Melody’s are white and Indian). The bully is white. Adrian is a highly sympathetic protagonist, showing sensitivity and emotional maturity that would outshine that of many adults.
Accessible and engaging, full of honest feeling. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4595-0548-3
Page Count: 202
Publisher: James Lorimer
Review Posted Online: Nov. 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense.
Everyone believes that Salil Singh killed his girlfriend, Andrea Bell, five years ago—except Pippa Fitz-Amobi.
Pip has known and liked Sal since childhood; he’d supported her when she was being bullied in middle school. For her senior capstone project, Pip researches the disappearance of former Fairview High student Andie, last seen on April 18, 2014, by her younger sister, Becca. The original investigation concluded with most of the evidence pointing to Sal, who was found dead in the woods, apparently by suicide. Andie’s body was never recovered, and Sal was assumed by most to be guilty of abduction and murder. Unable to ignore the gaps in the case, Pip sets out to prove Sal’s innocence, beginning with interviewing his younger brother, Ravi. With his help, Pip digs deeper, unveiling unsavory facts about Andie and the real reason Sal’s friends couldn’t provide him with an alibi. But someone is watching, and Pip may be in more danger than she realizes. Pip’s sleuthing is both impressive and accessible. Online articles about the case and interview transcripts are provided throughout, and Pip’s capstone logs offer insights into her thought processes as new evidence and suspects arise. Jackson’s debut is well-executed and surprises readers with a connective web of interesting characters and motives. Pip and Andie are white, and Sal is of Indian descent.
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense. (Mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-9636-0
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
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
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