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LUCKY BREAK

From the Orca Soundings series

A relatable, realistic look at the pressures teen athletes face that will appeal to reluctant readers.

A teenage sports star battles rugby opponents and inner demons in this quick and compelling read.

Seventeen-year-old Lucy “Lucky” Graves is at the top of her game, both literally and figuratively. A straight-A student and her high school’s star athlete, Lucy excels both in the classroom and on the rugby pitch. Though she lost her father when she was 12, Lucy is surrounded by people who love and support her, including her single mom, best friend and fellow rugby player Emily, and her new crush, New Zealand transplant Andy. There’s nothing standing in the way of her earning a college scholarship, until a terrible hit during a rugby match results in a broken ankle. When a video of her accident goes viral, Lucy’s mental health also deteriorates, threatening both her rugby career and her relationships. In order to get back on the pitch, Lucy must confront old demons and learn to love the game again. Readers will enjoy the action-packed scenes, as well as the concise yet thorough explanations of all things rugby. Snappy dialogue, strong pacing, and sympathetic characters make for an enjoyable and easily digestible read. Mental illness is a recurring theme and is handled with care. Lucy is biracial, with a Black Trinidadian father and a white Irish mother; supporting characters read white.

A relatable, realistic look at the pressures teen athletes face that will appeal to reluctant readers. (author’s note) (Fiction. 13-18)

Pub Date: April 16, 2024

ISBN: 9781459839724

Page Count: 192

Publisher: Orca

Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024

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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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