A plucky, heartwarming tale that celebrates the complexity of family relationships.
Adela Ramírez’s life is like a telenovela.
At least that’s how it feels for the seventh grader, who has discovered something that her remarried, pregnant mom has been hiding about her biological father’s identity: He’s actually Manny “The Mountain” Bravo, a famous luchador! When Addie decides that she would like to meet him, she is thrown into the world of the Bravo family’s wrestling dynasty. Though Manny remains distant, Addie’s other newly introduced relatives welcome her with open arms, and she is immediately included in the family pastime. Addie quickly learns that each member of the Bravo family is also wrestling with their own personal struggles, including living up to the family’s illustrious name. On top of that, Addie must decide whether being adopted by her doting stepdad would be a positive next step. Addie navigates her new connections, middle school drama, disappointments, big decisions, and surprises with courage and humor. The characterization is strong, and the book offers portrayals of authentic, complicated relationships that are written with care, showing readers that biological family and found family can be equally important. Addie and her family are Mexican American; secondary characters are racially diverse, and one of Addie’s uncles is a drag queen.
A plucky, heartwarming tale that celebrates the complexity of family relationships. (Fiction. 9-14)Pub Date: Aug. 16, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-32517-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Kokila
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
Riveting, inspiring, and sometimes hilarious.
If you made a recording to be heard by the aliens who found the iPod, what would you record?
For 11-year-old Alex Petroski, it's easy. He records everything. He records the story of how he travels to New Mexico to a rocket festival with his dog, Carl Sagan, and his rocket. He records finding out that a man with the same name and birthday as his dead father has an address in Las Vegas. He records eating at Johnny Rockets for the first time with his new friends, who are giving him a ride to find his dead father (who might not be dead!), and losing Carl Sagan in the wilds of Las Vegas, and discovering he has a half sister. He even records his own awful accident. Cheng delivers a sweet, soulful debut novel with a brilliant, refreshing structure. His characters manage to come alive through the “transcript” of Alex’s iPod recording, an odd medium that sounds like it would be confusing but really works. Taking inspiration from the Voyager Golden Record released to space in 1977, Alex, who explains he has “light brown skin,” records all the important moments of a journey that takes him from a family of two to a family of plenty.
Riveting, inspiring, and sometimes hilarious. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-399-18637-0
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
Brava!
From award winner Telgemeier (Smile, 2010), a pitch-perfect graphic novel portrayal of a middle school musical, adroitly capturing the drama both on and offstage.
Seventh-grader Callie Marin is over-the-moon to be on stage crew again this year for Eucalyptus Middle School’s production of Moon over Mississippi. Callie's just getting over popular baseball jock and eighth-grader Greg, who crushed her when he left Callie to return to his girlfriend, Bonnie, the stuck-up star of the play. Callie's healing heart is quickly captured by Justin and Jesse Mendocino, the two very cute twins who are working on the play with her. Equally determined to make the best sets possible with a shoestring budget and to get one of the Mendocino boys to notice her, the immensely likable Callie will find this to be an extremely drama-filled experience indeed. The palpably engaging and whip-smart characterization ensures that the charisma and camaraderie run high among those working on the production. When Greg snubs Callie in the halls and misses her reference to Guys and Dolls, one of her friends assuredly tells her, "Don't worry, Cal. We’re the cool kids….He's the dork." With the clear, stylish art, the strongly appealing characters and just the right pinch of drama, this book will undoubtedly make readers stand up and cheer.
Brava! (Graphic fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-32698-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
SEEN & HEARD
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