A clever exploration of cynicism, camaraderie, and causes worth fighting for.
A high school investigative journalist goes all out to save a beloved habitat—but do the ends justify the means?
Eleventh grader John O’Neil is on a mission. His grandparents once fought to protect Radlaw’s Trail, a fragile habitat for the blue-bellied sapsucker. The endangered bird is now under imminent threat from a luxury spa development backed by the mega-wealthy McPhee family of rural Mason County. Determined to honor their legacy, John, who reads white, is intent on stopping the environmental destruction. Frustrated by the limits of the school newspaper, he and his friend Rachel Miller, who’s a Black lesbian aspiring environmental journalist, launched an alternative rag, the Mason Observer. But now John goes rogue: No longer content with an exposé, he turns to blackmail, something he—a self-described “amateur blackmailicist”—has much prior experience with. Casting himself as a lone crusader, John alienates Rachel with his self-absorption, undermining what could have been a shared cause. A reluctant alliance and daring heist with a scrappy group of fellow young environmentalists helps John realize that his isolation is unnecessary—and that the classmates by his side can become trusted friends. Witty dialogue and a fast-moving plot keep readers engaged, though abrupt transitions, flashbacks, and an overabundance of secondary characters can make the narrative confusing. John is gay, and secondary plotlines naturally weave in themes of homophobia and allyship.
A clever exploration of cynicism, camaraderie, and causes worth fighting for. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 5, 2026
ISBN: 9781834020518
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Annick Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
A light and entertaining plot-driven romance.
A Connecticut girl and her best friend devise a series of plans in order to achieve their goals: following a dream and winning back an ex.
Eighteen-year-old Audrey Barbour has a Master Plan: attend Blue Ridge Glass School in North Carolina and someday turn her Etsy shop, Golightly Glass, into a thriving business. But her uber-wealthy parents insist that she instead follow in their footsteps and go to business school. So Audrey decides to go find the tuition money she needs with help from her best friend, Henry Chen. Henry needs a favor, too: He hopes that fake dating Audrey will help him win back his ex-girlfriend, and he points out to a reluctant Audrey that this could make her crush, Griffin, notice her. While Audrey’s parents vacation in France for three weeks, the pair rent out the Barbour mansion on the Long Island Sound. Soon romantic chemistry grows alongside their business partnership. Despite the pair’s great preparation and an abundance of secondary characters with connections and talents to help pull off their increasingly ambitious ideas, plans go awry, leaving Audrey and Henry scrambling and second-guessing their choices. The pacing is even, but the characters often take a back seat to the whirlwind of activity that drives the plot, with the emphasis falling on each person’s practical skills and their role in keeping the action moving over their emotional bonds. Audrey is white, and Henry’s surname cues him as Chinese American.
A light and entertaining plot-driven romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: March 31, 2026
ISBN: 9780593904794
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Delacorte Romance
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
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
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