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GUTLESS

The sports may hook readers, but the bullying will land them.

Adding layers of complexity to the interactions of athletes, this sports novel set in Seattle offers a twofer: football and soccer.

Hunter Gates, a blond, white quarterback with his future focused on football, has both henchmen and a high-pressure father. Chinese-American Richie Fang couldn’t be more different. He’s a boisterous spark plug who loves attention and bad jokes and is the ideal target for bullying despite his soccer prowess. He’s also intensely competitive in every arena, with achievements in violin, math, architecture, and chess, fulfilling many model-minority stereotypes. Narrator Brock Ripley, a white sophomore and soccer goalie with a reputation for a yellow streak, befriends Richie. When Hunter’s dad asks Brock to practice with Hunter, Brock discovers a potential as a football wide receiver due to good hands and ball sense. The two develop rapport on field, but Brock cringes as he witnesses Hunter’s bullying, particularly of Richie—but he does nothing. Sharing chess and a parent who is not healthy with Richie brings them close. The foreshadowing of what happens when Richie is pushed beyond reason ratchets up the tension, mirrored by the play on the field over the two years covered. Race is crucial to the plot, as stereotypical expectations are both utilized and confronted; most characters are white or Asian, with a few African-Americans.

The sports may hook readers, but the bullying will land them. (Fiction. 12-16)

Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-544-64961-3

Page Count: 336

Publisher: HMH Books

Review Posted Online: June 27, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016

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THE FIELD GUIDE TO THE NORTH AMERICAN TEENAGER

Despite some missteps, this will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh and realistic teen voice.

A teenage, not-so-lonely loner endures the wilds of high school in Austin, Texas.

Norris Kaplan, the protagonist of Philippe’s debut novel, is a hypersweaty, uber-snarky black, Haitian, French-Canadian pushing to survive life in his new school. His professor mom’s new tenure-track job transplants Norris mid–school year, and his biting wit and sarcasm are exposed through his cataloging of his new world in a field guide–style burn book. He’s greeted in his new life by an assortment of acquaintances, Liam, who is white and struggling with depression; Maddie, a self-sacrificing white cheerleader with a heart of gold; and Aarti, his Indian-American love interest who offers connection. Norris’ ego, fueled by his insecurities, often gets in the way of meaningful character development. The scenes showcasing his emotional growth are too brief and, despite foreshadowing, the climax falls flat because he still gets incredible personal access to people he’s hurt. A scene where Norris is confronted by his mother for getting drunk and belligerent with a white cop is diluted by his refusal or inability to grasp the severity of the situation and the resultant minor consequences. The humor is spot-on, as is the representation of the black diaspora; the opportunity for broader conversations about other topics is there, however, the uneven buildup of detailed, meaningful exchanges and the glibness of Norris’ voice detract.

Despite some missteps, this will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh and realistic teen voice. (Fiction. 13-16)

Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2019

ISBN: 978-0-06-282411-0

Page Count: 384

Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2018

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NEVER FALL DOWN

Though it lacks references or suggestions for further reading, Arn's agonizing story is compelling enough that many readers...

A harrowing tale of survival in the Killing Fields.

The childhood of Arn Chorn-Pond has been captured for young readers before, in Michelle Lord and Shino Arihara's picture book, A Song for Cambodia (2008). McCormick, known for issue-oriented realism, offers a fictionalized retelling of Chorn-Pond's youth for older readers. McCormick's version begins when the Khmer Rouge marches into 11-year-old Arn's Cambodian neighborhood and forces everyone into the country. Arn doesn't understand what the Khmer Rouge stands for; he only knows that over the next several years he and the other children shrink away on a handful of rice a day, while the corpses of adults pile ever higher in the mango grove. Arn does what he must to survive—and, wherever possible, to protect a small pocket of children and adults around him. Arn's chilling history pulls no punches, trusting its readers to cope with the reality of children forced to participate in murder, torture, sexual exploitation and genocide. This gut-wrenching tale is marred only by the author's choice to use broken English for both dialogue and description. Chorn-Pond, in real life, has spoken eloquently (and fluently) on the influence he's gained by learning English; this prose diminishes both his struggle and his story.

Though it lacks references or suggestions for further reading, Arn's agonizing story is compelling enough that many readers will seek out the history themselves. (preface, author's note) (Historical fiction. 12-15)

Pub Date: May 8, 2012

ISBN: 978-0-06-173093-1

Page Count: 224

Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: March 20, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012

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