A sincere story about personal risks and emotional growth.
Las Vegas teen Skyler Davidson has been trying to live her astrophysicist mother’s life ever since third grade, when her mom died in a car accident.
Now a high school senior, Skyler’s aiming for MIT (her mom’s alma mater) so that she can become an astronaut and finish her mother’s research on neutron stars. Unfortunately, Skyler’s SAT score was disappointing, but a new NASA internship for teens could be the perfect opportunity—if she can make a good enough application video. At times, the first-person narration has enough humor and heart to make Skyler relatable. Regarding her insta-love toward videographer and fellow senior Cooper: “Falling into a crush is like catching a deadly virus—you don’t know it’s happened to you, but once you see the symptoms, it’s already too late.” Mostly, though, Skyler’s characterization disappointingly feels like a collection of stereotypes of STEM-focused people: She has no friends or hobbies, she thinks emotions are useless, she’s constantly pedantic, she’s obsessed with grades, and—of course—she can solve a Rubik’s Cube in 37 seconds. Skyler has never even thought of a real name for her beloved pet rat and simply calls her Five (her laboratory specimen number). Still, it’s gratifying to watch Skyler’s developing romance with Cooper, her sweet growing friendship with his athletic sister, and her mature détente with the young makeup influencer her dad is dating. Characters are implied white.
A sincere story about personal risks and emotional growth. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: May 21, 2024
ISBN: 9781682636015
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Peachtree Teen
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
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
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
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