An entry point for reluctant readers to explore the personal side of social justice issues.
After her rookie cop brother shoots an unarmed man in Queens, rising 10th grader Kiki investigates.
Aspiring Greek American artist Kiki Pantazis goes with her friends to a protest. There, she sees someone holding a photo of her brother, Stavros, labeled #MURDERER. She learns that he fatally shot Ray Brennan, an unarmed schizophrenic man who is cued as White, claiming that he was acting in self-defense. Her friends want Kiki to join the protest against police violence, but Kiki is reluctant out of loyalty to her family even though she knows that Stavros isn’t always a good guy. Kiki decides to find out for herself what happened, learning about the dangers often faced by mentally ill people and seeking out Ray’s parents for their side of the story. Meanwhile, she decides to work through her feelings by painting a mural on the wall of her mother’s bakery—of Stavros and Ray, with the identical bikes they both owned and loved—with help from other students in her summer art class. Kiki’s shift from only drawing in black and white to incorporating color into her art mirrors her growing recognition of real-world complexities. This novel in verse may appeal to teens interested in the social commentary and therapeutic aspects of art, though some may find the messaging heavy-handed and question the tastefulness of the mural’s content.
An entry point for reluctant readers to explore the personal side of social justice issues. (glossary) (Verse novel. 12-18)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-978596-06-1
Page Count: 200
Publisher: West 44 Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2022
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
Exactly what the title promises.
A grieving teen’s devotion to romance films might ruin her chances at actual romance.
Liz Buxbaum has always adored rom-coms, not least for helping her still feel close to her screenwriter mother, who died when she was little. Liz hopes that her senior year might turn into a real-life romantic fantasy, as an old crush has moved back to town, cuter and nicer than ever. Surely she can get Michael to ask her to prom. If only Wes, the annoying boy next door, would help her with her scheming! This charming, fluffy concoction manages to pack into one goofy plot every conceivable trope, from fake dating to the makeover to the big misunderstanding. Creative, quirky, daydreaming Liz is just shy of an annoying stereotype, saved by a dry wit and unresolved grief and anger. Wes makes for a delightful bad boy with a good heart, and supporting characters—including a sassy best friend, a perfect popular rival, even a (not really) evil stepmother—all get the opportunity to transcend their roles. The only villain here is Liz’s lovelorn imagination, provoking her into foolish lies that cause actual hurt feelings; but she is sufficiently self-aware to make amends just in time for the most important trope of all: a blissfully happy ending. All characters seem to be White by default.
Exactly what the title promises. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6762-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK TO SCREEN
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