On a good day, Samantha Berger’s parents are mildly embarrassing, but the day the reality TV cameras arrive? Not a good day.
The white, Jewish teen’s Bigfoot-hunting—make that Wood Ape–conservationist—parents have signed the family up for Myth Gnomers, in which they will compete against anthropology geniuses from an elite private high school. The team that provides the most compelling evidence of Sasquatch’s existence wins $100,000. Skeptic Samantha is fine with the family making fools of themselves on TV; if they win, she can afford a pre-med program and her family’s home will stay out of foreclosure. The other team, with their high-tech equipment and mentor who also happens to be a contest judge, won’t make it easy. There’s snobby British-Indian Devan; Korean-American Kyle; and blonde American white girl Caroline. The future isn’t the only thing at stake: Sam’s pride is as well. She wants to prove her family aren’t middle-class nobodies. As the competition heats up, Sam is paired with snooty Devan for a challenge, during which they have to put aside their differences and work together to win points for their respective teams. Readers will see the love-story angle coming from a mile away. Samantha’s first-person narration is marked by her sarcastic, wry, and delightfully snarky humor.
“Squatching” doesn’t get any funnier than this. (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Aug. 8, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5072-0280-7
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
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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
Categories: TEENS & YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES
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This tear-jerker will leave readers wanting to follow the next chapter in Darius’ life.
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Darius Kellner suffers from depression, bullying by high school jocks, and a father who seems to always be disappointed in him.
When Darius’ grandfather becomes terminally ill, Darius, along with his parents and younger sister, travels to Iran for the first time in his life. Iranian on his mother’s side and white American on his father’s side, Darius never quite fits in. He’s mocked for his name and nerdy interests at Chapel Hill High School in Portland, Oregon, and doesn’t speak enough Farsi to communicate with his Iranian relatives either. When he arrives in Iran, learning to play the Persian card game Rook, socializing, and celebrating Nowruz with a family he had never properly met before is all overwhelming and leaves Darius wondering if he’ll ever truly belong anywhere. But all that changes when Darius meets Sohrab, a Bahá’í boy, in Yazd. Sohrab teaches Darius what friendship is really about: loyalty, honesty, and someone who has your back in a football (soccer) match. For the first time in a long time, Darius learns to love himself no matter what external forces attempt to squash his confidence. Khorram’s debut novel is filled with insight into the lives of teens, weaving together the reality of living with mental illness while also dealing with identity and immigration politics.
This tear-jerker will leave readers wanting to follow the next chapter in Darius’ life. (Fiction. 12-adult)Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-525-55296-3
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: June 17, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
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