Whoever said being pretty was easy? Chunky, buck-toothed Megan has always played second best to her sexy, slender sister Lucy both in life and in the theater world: Megan designs the sets, and Lucy steals the show onstage. That all changes, however, when Megan’s hit by a car and spends the next eight months recuperating. The following school year, she’s fully transformed from bombed-out to bombshell thanks to plastic surgery, weight loss, bone grafts and dental work. Soon she’s starring in the school play, and the boys that used to chase her sister now chase her. Cue scenes of unwanted attention and nasty sibling rivalry, which all cause Megan to wonder if she’s suddenly popular because of her mind or her new body. Her voice and emotions ring true but lack depth, and readers may find her too flaky and whiney to wade through nearly 300 pages. The sibling rivalry barely dips beneath the surface, and what’s left is an after-schoolish screaming match between the two sisters over boys, clothes and dates. Typically tepid chick-lit fare. (Fiction. YA)
Pub Date: April 8, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-385-73373-1
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2008
A love story—romantic and familial—that is a must-read.
Avery and her parents move to her mom’s hometown to care for her ailing grandma.
Lately 17-year-old Avery feels like she needs a change of scenery, a break from Washington, D.C., and her singular focus on early admittance to Georgetown. When Avery’s mom, Zora, learns her mother is dying from cancer, she decides to move back home. After more than a decade away, Zora is not wholeheartedly embraced by Mama Letty. As a queer, biracial teen—Avery’s mom is Black, and her dad is White—Avery’s welcome in rural Bardell County, Georgia, population 9,127, is just as cold. Avery tries to understand what caused the rift between her mom and Mama Letty and what happened to her grandfather, but both women are reluctant to share. Avery befriends the pretty Black girl next door and the rich White girl whose family runs everything, and she discovers Bardell County is full of buried secrets. As in most small towns, everything and everyone is connected, and debut author Hammonds skillfully unpeels each layer of intrigue, keeping readers engaged until the last page. The tension between Mama Letty and Zora is complex and deep-seated, and the generational trauma revealed throughout is beautifully explored. Hammonds seamlessly weaves together mystery, romance, and a town’s racist history, crafting a gripping and emotional story.
A love story—romantic and familial—that is a must-read. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-81655-9
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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Achingly, beautifully written.
A hardworking high school senior strives to keep his future bright while driving around his drug-dealing friend.
Benny and Lawson, both raised by struggling single moms after their fathers left, are neighbors, best friends, and total opposites. Lawson, a white boy who’s charismatic and popular, goes to school mainly to deal drugs—not to study. Mexican American Benny, who’s quiet and studious, ranks near the top of their class. Lawson helps Benny come out of his shell at parties and stands up for him against bullies, and Benny is there when Lawson needs a ride. Benny’s mom holds down multiple cleaning jobs, works to stay sober, and encourages her son to go to college. By contrast, Lawson’s mom, who’s on welfare, depends on Lawson dealing marijuana to make rent. As graduation nears, the duo find themselves on dangerously different paths. Feeling trapped by his dependent mother and a new, violent drug boss, Lawson starts selling harder drugs. The risk of getting arrested or attacked because of Lawson’s drug dealing terrifies Benny, who threatens to stop driving Lawson around. Written in swift, emotive verse from Benny’s perspective, this work will leave readers empathizing with Benny’s struggle to prioritize his own future while remaining loyal to the childhood best friend he genuinely wants to help. But it’s the expertly paced plot twist at the end that makes Benny and Lawson’s story heartbreakingly unforgettable.
Achingly, beautifully written. (Verse fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9781324052821
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Norton Young Readers
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
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