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THE HILLS OF ESTRELLA ROJA

A queer graphic horror with an upbeat vibe.

A slowly building graphic novel full of creepy monsters and tense family dynamics.

Eighteen-year-old Marisol Castillo’s spring break involves traveling to the small Texas town of Estrella Roja to attend the funeral of the abuela she hasn’t seen since childhood due to a family estrangement. Nineteen-year-old Kat Fields, who co-hosts the podcast Paranormal Texas, heads there too after receiving an email tip about strange “devil lights” and learning of the town’s history of unusual events. Eager to pursue these leads for her podcast, Kat changes her spring break plans with friends and takes off alone to explore the mystery. Despite repeated warnings, Kat ventures into the hills but finds locals unwilling to talk about the town’s past. Then she meets Mari. Mari finds her extended family’s detachment and hostility palpable, and she senses they are keeping something from her. Increasingly suspicious about their secrets and eager to spend time with Kat, she joins her quest. As they make terrifying discoveries in the hills and face the townsfolks’ hostility, Mari and Kat realize they can trust no one else, and their fast friendship blooms with an awkward first-crush cuteness that gently slows the plot’s momentum. Franklin’s energetic, full-color artwork pulses with emotion and movement. Kat reads White; in addition to Latine Mari, characters reflect the diversity of the Texas population.

A queer graphic horror with an upbeat vibe. (concept art) (Graphic horror. 13-18)

Pub Date: Aug. 29, 2023

ISBN: 9780358567035

Page Count: 400

Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 24, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2023

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IF HE HAD BEEN WITH ME

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

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INDIVISIBLE

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

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