As complex as life itself, this novel addresses serious topics without taking itself too seriously.
There is a place where Arlo goes to break free—free from his mother’s recent murder, his father’s grief, his sister’s progressing Huntington’s disease. In this place, the Drone Zone, it all falls away and there is just the moment.
Arlo’s two mechanisms for reaching the Zone are pulling stunts on his dirt bike and playing “Drone Pilot,” a video game that simulates drone flight and at which he is currently the best in the world. With these tools, Arlo is able to fly, and for his incredible skill with each, he begins to attract attention. A reality TV show that specializes in capturing daredevil stunts wants to pay him to risk his life for entertainment. The military also takes notice, wanting Arlo to work for them secretly, flying drones and gathering reconnaissance that could lead to the capture, or death, of the world’s most notorious terrorist. Both options offer to provide his family with financial resources they direly need. Which, if either, is worth the risk is what Arlo must decide. Readers will worry, laugh and ultimately soar along with Arlo as he finds his way. Nuanced supporting characters and a vivid New Mexico landscape ground Arlo’s dilemma, creating a superbly well-balanced narrative.
As complex as life itself, this novel addresses serious topics without taking itself too seriously. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: April 8, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-23269-3
Page Count: 352
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
The upbeat ending that resolves many of Lawrence's struggles is unsurprising and fits well, but there are major flaws here...
A stoner in the process of reforming is pressured to act as a mentor for a new, younger student at his high school in this comedic novel.
First-person narrator Lawrence is the privileged son of two successful but neglectful parents who can't even be bothered to attend a meeting about his possible expulsion from school. His lawyer father does, however, write a threatening letter to the principal, which keeps Lawrence enrolled. He’s assigned by his school counselor to help Spencer, who’s from Norway, as a means to show his good faith to follow the rules. Lawrence is also newly sober, after using pot constantly for years, and begins to somewhat reluctantly fall for a girl who marches to her own drum. Lawrence's back story—he fell in with friends who valued getting high more than they valued him in an effort to shed an earlier geeky image—feels genuine, and readers will feel sympathy for him. A fair amount of his self-conscious humor is funny. However, many other elements played for laughs fall flat—such as Lawrence’s mild unease with gayness, a glaringly stereotyped Latina housekeeper, and a Vietnamese-American villain who accuses others of racial profiling when she's caught out. Characters of color are specified, leaving readers to infer that Lawrence and the rest are white.
The upbeat ending that resolves many of Lawrence's struggles is unsurprising and fits well, but there are major flaws here that will turn readers off. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 8, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-239939-7
Page Count: 352
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
A heartfelt and emotional queer romance with a fresh paranormal twist.
Not even death can stop the love between two 16-year-old girls in Brighton, England, when one becomes a grim reaper.
Ashana Persaud, an Indo-Guyanese British girl, attends Whitehawk, a state school with a bad reputation. White redhead Poppy Morgan goes to posh Roedean. They meet when both are on school trips and hit it off right away, falling in love and planning their future. But when Ash dies on New Year’s Eve, she transforms into a grim reaper, working alongside two other teenage grim reapers to lead newly departed souls to Charon and his boat. They must avoid anyone they knew when they were alive, and they can only be seen in their previous, living forms by people who are about to die. Ash desperately wants to see Poppy again, but when she finally does, Poppy recognizes her. Ash’s new goal becomes to save Poppy from her impending fate even as the pair relish this second chance. The novel is split into two main sections, “Before” and “After.” Both are compelling, although they feel disjointed as readers meet several new characters in the latter half while Ash’s friends and family from the first part are sidelined. Still, it’s the romance that drives the story, and Ash and Poppy are so full of heart. Their feelings for each other are big and overwhelming, and this is an endearing and realistic representation of first love.
A heartfelt and emotional queer romance with a fresh paranormal twist. (Paranormal romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-86561-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Godwin Books
Review Posted Online: July 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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