Say oui to this thoughtful and intelligent story of outsiders rising up.
A gloriously feminist, fat-positive romp translated from the French.
After school bullies name them the gold, silver, and bronze winners respectively in the annual Pig Pageant on social media, Astrid Blomvall, Hakima Idriss, and Mireille Laplanche are battered but unbowed. The three girls concoct a plan to cycle to Paris in time for the Bastille Day celebration, where each will fulfill a personal dream. Mireille is eager to meet her biological father, a philosophy professor who is married to the French president and does not know she exists. Hakima, whose brother, Kader, lost his legs fighting for France in a desert war and who serves as the girls’ chaperone on their weeklong journey, would like to confront the general who has not given him credit for his brave sacrifice. Astrid, meanwhile, would like to meet Indochine, her favorite band, who will be performing at the garden party and whose music has given her the strength to persevere in the face of hardship. The four misfits become national celebrities as France rallies around their cause. Respecting the ability of teen readers to interpret challenging material without having lessons spelled out for them, the work is a mixture of righteous fury and light, witty banter. Addressing racism (the Idriss family are Muslim immigrants), misogyny, and fat-phobia, the story is a refreshing and empowering coming-of-age tale.
Say oui to this thoughtful and intelligent story of outsiders rising up. (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Aug. 8, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-78269-120-4
Page Count: 289
Publisher: Pushkin Children’s Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2019
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 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
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