Poignant and insightful.
After his mother leaves, a teen takes drastic measures to support his disabled younger sister.
Ever since Dad died, Reed Beckett’s mom has been distant, “either working or sleeping,” leaving 17-year-old Reed to care for his homeschooled 10-year-old sister, Beatrice, who has spinal muscular atrophy. When Mom starts dating Seth, her behavior grows even more erratic, culminating in her abruptly taking a vacation with him—and leaving Reed and Beatrice alone. As weeks pass, and their food and money dwindle, Reed fears Mom won’t return. How will he pay the rent—or the $5,000 deposit for the scoliosis surgery that could improve Beatrice’s life? His solutions are lucrative but illegal—if he’s caught, Beatrice could be taken away. To pull off his schemes, he’ll have to enlist the help of Helena Shaw…the childhood friend he feels betrayed him terribly. Though some plot elements may require suspending disbelief, Hayden, who has SMA himself, effectively explores grief, neglect, and complex family dynamics. While Beatrice’s care drives much of the plot, and her precocious hacking skills prove convenient, the tender, frank bond she has with Reed prevents her from being merely a plot device. Reed and Helena’s recovering relationship offers thought-provoking insights into privilege and what makes a family. Though Reed’s mom’s depression and neglect are addressed rather late in the novel, leaving little room for readers to process the topics, the author realistically acknowledges that healing and forgiveness are neither instant nor easy. Most characters read white.
Poignant and insightful. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2024
ISBN: 9781536223125
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2024
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
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression.
After surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself.
Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis, a white girl living on the margins, thinks she has little reason to live: her father drowned himself; her bereft and abusive mother kicked her out; her best friend, Ellis, is nearly brain dead after cutting too deeply; and she's gone through unspeakable experiences living on the street. After spending time in treatment with other young women like her—who cut, burn, poke, and otherwise hurt themselves—Charlie is released and takes a bus from the Twin Cities to Tucson to be closer to Mikey, a boy she "like-likes" but who had pined for Ellis instead. But things don't go as planned in the Arizona desert, because sweet Mikey just wants to be friends. Feeling rejected, Charlie, an artist, is drawn into a destructive new relationship with her sexy older co-worker, a "semifamous" local musician who's obviously a junkie alcoholic. Through intense, diarylike chapters chronicling Charlie's journey, the author captures the brutal and heartbreaking way "girls who write their pain on their bodies" scar and mar themselves, either succumbing or surviving. Like most issue books, this is not an easy read, but it's poignant and transcendent as Charlie breaks more and more before piecing herself back together.
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression. (author’s note) (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-101-93471-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
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