A simple, plot-driven read that introduces younger readers to underrepresented characters and histories.
A young Indigenous woman must find a way forward as forces threaten her family, home, and history in Ferguson’s historical YA novel.
In 19th-century Alta California, in the era of the Mexican-American War, Sparrow, a Chumash teenager, and her mother, Nina, a seasoned healer who preserves her family’s customs, live on the property of the Tenorios, a wealthy Mexican family. The Tenorios employ her mother and treat Sparrow with the affection befitting a second family. However, when Sparrow finds her estranged White father implicated in an American plot to wrest Alta California from the Mexican governor’s control, she finds her future, loyalties, and perception of herself cast into doubt. Conspiring with the colorful cast of Tenorios, Sparrow undertakes a journey to protect not just her family and their territory but the fundamental rights and humanity of all Indigenous peoples. Though she loses much in the process, readers will find themselves inspired by the future Sparrow creates for herself and those around her. The prose can read drily—in the wake of the rejection, guilt, and general turmoil Sparrow suffers in relation to her estranged father, the emotional impact of their eventual reunion is signaled only by the blunt remark that his “words rebuilt Sparrow’s hope that he wanted to share his life with her.” But the novel provides a necessary look at historical events and peoples that have often been ignored in fiction (and in real life). The tightly wound plot flows effortlessly from one moment to the next, never leaving readers disengaged or in the dark. Sparrow is not a fully developed protagonist and at times her actions seem subject to the whims of the story. Nevertheless, the reader will feel compelled to follow her journey from girlhood to adulthood and self-determination, wishing her well at each step. Critically, the novel does not paper over the abuse, exploitation, or erasure of Indigenous people at the hands of colonial forces while remaining suitable for its audience.
A simple, plot-driven read that introduces younger readers to underrepresented characters and histories.Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9780967330082
Page Count: 190
Publisher: Luz Publications
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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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