A riveting, page-turning thriller that is full of surprises.
Five teens go camping, but only four return.
Maylee decides she wants to go on a spur-of-the-moment camping trip. The group ends up including her boyfriend, John; her best friend, Petra; Petra’s stepbrother, Nolan; and classmate Abigail. Their destination is Salvation Creek, a wooded area in the Pacific Northwest that is notorious due to the girls who have disappeared there—as well as being known to cryptid enthusiasts like Nolan for its Bigfoot activity. Petra’s Type A personality clashes with Maylee’s impulsivity as the latter seemingly randomly invites Abigail, a girl Petra didn’t know Maylee had any connection with. Meanwhile, Abigail has problems with John and his purported involvement in another classmate’s car accident. Suspicions run high when Maylee vanishes during the night following a huge argument within the group, as each teen has a different opinion about what to do next. The story is told in the form of transcripts of the police interviews with John, Petra, Nolan, and Abigail as they run through the weekend’s events from their individual perspectives, bringing a sense of immediacy to the story. Each character holds a piece of the puzzle, but each of them is unreliable to a certain degree, as they have secrets they wish to keep hidden. The combination of both long and short chapters contributes to the excellent pacing, making it hard to put down. Most characters are White; John is Black.
A riveting, page-turning thriller that is full of surprises. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-4926-7305-7
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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