A smart look at class that's undercut by its deemphasis of race. (Fiction. 12-16)
An amiable yet insufferably class-obsessed LA teen copes with her family’s fall from wealth.
Skylar Hoffman waits tables at the same exclusive beach club she used to belong to because her parents’ incomes steadily dwindle. Her filmmaker mother, Lisa Chen, produced one teen blockbuster and hasn’t had another commercial success since; her father’s work as a graphic designer was “never that busy to begin with.” Huang spares readers the poverty porn of Skylar’s family coping with their downsized fortunes in such a wealth- and image-obsessed place as LA. Instead, she makes Skylar’s struggle with this new normal the story’s ongoing metaphor as she lies by omission and commission about her circumstances to her New England old-money classmates at tony Winthrop Academy, a boarding school near Boston, and the subsequent repercussions. In the process, Skylar, who might be mixed-race Asian-American judging by her parents’ names, also challenges the model-minority stereotypes of the financially comfortable and academically excellent Asians. However, in taking on these negative images, the author tends to not indicate characters of color except for hints in their names, like boyfriend Leo Diaz—a few noted exceptions being ambiguous physical descriptions of Skylar’s guidance counselor, Ms. Randall, and dorm mate Raksmey, along with fellow students C.J., who comes from mainland China, and Yasmin, from United Arab Emirates.
A smart look at class that's undercut by its deemphasis of race. (Fiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-553-53943-1
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: June 27, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
Characters to love, quips to snort at, insights to ponder: typical Spinelli.
For two teenagers, a small town’s annual cautionary ritual becomes both a life- and a death-changing experience.
On the second Wednesday in June, every eighth grader in Amber Springs, Pennsylvania, gets a black shirt, the name and picture of a teen killed the previous year through reckless behavior—and the silent treatment from everyone in town. Like many of his classmates, shy, self-conscious Robbie “Worm” Tarnauer has been looking forward to Dead Wed as a day for cutting loose rather than sober reflection…until he finds himself talking to a strange girl or, as she would have it, “spectral maiden,” only he can see or touch. Becca Finch is as surprised and confused as Worm, only remembering losing control of her car on an icy slope that past Christmas Eve. But being (or having been, anyway) a more outgoing sort, she sees their encounter as a sign that she’s got a mission. What follows, in a long conversational ramble through town and beyond, is a day at once ordinary yet rich in discovery and self-discovery—not just for Worm, but for Becca too, with a climactic twist that leaves both ready, or readier, for whatever may come next. Spinelli shines at setting a tongue-in-cheek tone for a tale with serious underpinnings, and as in Stargirl (2000), readers will be swept into the relationship that develops between this adolescent odd couple. Characters follow a White default.
Characters to love, quips to snort at, insights to ponder: typical Spinelli. (Fiction. 12-15)Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-30667-3
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
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