A vibrant, inclusive, feminist, punk-rock homage, guide, and coming-of-age story.
Three punks on the verge of adulthood vow to have a summer they’ll never forget.
Black 19-year-old Ariel Grace Jones loves English punk band the X-Ray Spex, best friends Michele Covarrubias and Gael Certi, moshing in the pit, and playing in their band, Baby Hares. Now it’s the summer after high school, and in between going to—and playing in—as many gigs as possible, everyone’s making plans for the future. The three self-styled misfits grapple with feminist punk ideologies while trying to hold down jobs, support their families, and figure out their futures in a world that feels like a toxic wasteland of labor exploitation. As the trio grow into adulthood and their own aspirations, they deal with the complexities of romance and first-time sex, the ups and downs of both alternative and traditional families, and their changing relationships with oppressive societal beliefs. This impressionistically drawn graphic novel, illustrated predominantly in bright shades of purple, green, and yellow, has a pace as breakneck as a two-minute hardcore song and is a love letter to young punks. With its zine-inspired aesthetic and tone, this debut, which centers gender and racial diversity, welcomes anyone interested in exploring alternative scenes with a feminist-leftist bent. The story closes with a zine highlighting the punk community and values.
A vibrant, inclusive, feminist, punk-rock homage, guide, and coming-of-age story. (Graphic fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: April 23, 2024
ISBN: 9780593464502
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2024
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters.
When star hockey player Alec Barczewski’s estranged childhood friend, Dani Collins, moves to town, they end up in a mutually beneficial fake-dating relationship that reignites old feelings.
Following her parents’ divorce, Dani and her mom move in with Dani’s hockey legend grandfather in Southview, Minnesota, where she spent a month every summer as a child and where her friendship with Alec grew. Between visits, the two were pen pals, but they eventually fell out of touch. Despite some tensions over their loss of friendship, the high school seniors reconnect. Desperate to get off Harvard’s waitlist, Dani needs another extracurricular activity, while Alec—whose reputation took a hit when a photo of him holding a bong appeared on social media—is eager to improve his tarnished image for NHL scouts. The pair strike a deal: They’ll fake date, making Alec look like a stable guy whose academically gifted girlfriend is related to hockey royalty, and in exchange, he’ll get Dani a team manager position that will catch the eye of Harvard’s admissions officers. Eventually, complicated feelings about their past, stressful family relationships, and their brewing romance boil over. Romance fans will love the deliciously tension-filled scenes between Alec and Dani, who are believable friends with heavy demands weighing on them. They feel like real teenagers, and readers will enjoy rooting for them as the well-paced story unfolds. Main characters present white.
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9781665921268
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
A winning game of feelingsball.
A former football star, who never thought she’d play again after she came out as transgender, steps back onto the field for one last season to help her team win state.
Grace Woodhouse used to know where she belonged. She had Division I schools lined up to recruit her, but that was before what happened during playoffs last year, before she came out as trans, and before she quit the team. Although her single father and new friend group support her, Grace feels lost as her senior year begins. When one of her old teammates asks her to help him with his technique, she quickly realizes that he and the other captains are hoping for more than her expertise from the sidelines—they want her to rejoin the team. Grace can’t resist the opportunity to play again, but her return draws unwanted national attention that makes her question her future and who she wants to be. Flashback chapters written in the second-person present tense bring Grace’s past to life, which helps maintain momentum and makes her emotional journey feel more immersive. A heartfelt, goofy, and diverse cast of secondary characters surround Grace, who’s white, as she navigates self-doubt, friendship, complicated feelings for her ex-girlfriend, and what she wants to do after graduation. Overall, this coming-of-age sports narrative is honest, gentle, and hopeful.
A winning game of feelingsball. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781646145027
Page Count: 344
Publisher: Levine Querido
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
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