An immersive, lyrical study of the place where love and grief intersect.
Seventeen-year-old Isadora Barnes reconciles with the unexpected death of her artistic older sister, Eleni, in this intimate study of loss.
In Eleni’s sudden absence, grief holds Isadora’s full attention as she worries about forgetting her sister, avoids making decisions about college, questions her friendship with Ani Jones (which is becoming something more), and struggles with her emotionally distant parents. Seeking a change of environment and escape from her empty home life and routine, Isadora visits her uncle Theo in Brooklyn. Hoping to learn more about her sister—who was a student at City College of New York—and maybe gain some insights into what she should do next in her own life, Isadora goes through Eleni’s belongings. What she finds makes her question whether the sibling closeness she assumed was actually shared, leading to confusion and doubt. Isadora, who carries a notebook in which she records her observations and interesting facts, tracks down the friend Eleni shared an apartment with and discovers even more unknowns. As she explores further, a portrait of her sister slowly emerges. Rebele-Henry conveys anxious Isadora’s insecurities and her guilt and longing in a story that has the urgent pacing of a mystery. This emotional narrative presents an honest examination of the challenges that follow in the wake of a loved one’s death. Central characters present white.
An immersive, lyrical study of the place where love and grief intersect. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: July 7, 2026
ISBN: 9781641296847
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Soho Teen
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
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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