In this meticulously written short-story collection, Brooks chronicles the life of a singular young girl as she travels the rocky road from seven to sixteen. Symmetrical in that it starts out with her attempted kidnapping and ends with her attempted rape, Dolores copes with the breakup of her parents, spars with some school bullies, develops her own mode of cheerleading, bickers with her mother, and finally meets a young man worthy of her smarts and style. Articulate and opinionated, Dolores is a winning heroine, gifted with a fierce intelligence, a combative personality, and an unconventional turn of mind. Girls should admire the tough-minded Dolores, who at 12 speaks with a vocabulary and self-possession a woman of 40 could envy. And there’s the rub. Although Dolores is a fetching and fascinating creation, she’s such a poised and complete personality that she doesn’t seem to be quite of this earth. Few sixth-grade girls would coolly ask an enemy why “instead of coming over and asking a direct question, you . . . hang back and plan campaigns of malicious rumors.” Additionally, it’s not clear just who the author is writing for. For example, although the story “Ladies for Lunch” is both touching and trenchant, it reads like it’s a tale written for adults that just happens to have a child character in it. Still, Brooks wows the reader with his finely honed craft, piercing dry wit, and clever turn of phrase. (Fiction. 10+)
Pub Date: April 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-06-027818-8
Page Count: 144
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2002
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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