A deceptively simple story that offers a meditation on the deeply human drive to do the right thing.
In Heasley’s YA novel, a harmless prank results in an attempt to right a perceived wrong.
Young people are often the ones to embrace the impulse to speak truth to power, and sometimes they do so before they fully understand the consequences of their actions. This novel, set in California, presents a tale of misunderstanding alongside a story of fierce, self-righteous youth seeking justice. Soon after Hamilton High School student Redmond Fairweather steals his teacher’s favorite classroom prop, called the Whomper, he witnesses what he believes to be a drug deal between that instructor, Mr. Street, and fellow student Jasmine Hill. Fueled by distrust and rumors, Redmond and his friends begin a campaign to bring the teacher down. The situation escalates, putting the kids and the school under increasing community pressure. As the story goes on, the young people go through changes: The outcast becomes popular; the seemingly happy girl is revealed to harbor family secrets. But their fragility and their egos begin to erode their nobler impulses. Heasley’s novel unusually blends prose and comic-book panels, but it occasionally drags, lingering too long on scenes involving circular planning. The backstories of three major characters, each from a dysfunctional family, feel underdeveloped; their private situations seem meant to offer a counterpoint to what readers learn about Mr. Street, but the author doesn’t spend enough time on this material to make it resonate. The plot also leaves one thread unresolved—the identity of a key character. Still, it’s a deeply contemplative novel that achieves many of its goals through character-driven storytelling and a carefully crafted narrative structure, without ever becoming preachy. Readers will find it a worthy tale about youngsters seeking a more just world.
A deceptively simple story that offers a meditation on the deeply human drive to do the right thing.Pub Date: Oct. 19, 2026
ISBN: 9781956694154
Page Count: 326
Publisher: Th3rd World Studios
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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