Tightly plotted and thrilling, this book will grab readers by the throat.
Supernatural terror is unleashed in London.
Niamh leaves her hometown in Ireland for the London Academy of Dramatic Arts summer course she’s worked hard to afford. But focusing on classes and her work placement at the Victorian Street Museum, where she plays Jane, the daughter of a mill owner, proves difficult. Classmates Sara and Tasha, both of whom have long, dark hair and freckles like Niamh, are victims of brutal attacks. Niamh has her own creepy encounters with a mysterious entity. Niamh finds some distraction at the museum, where handsome volunteer Tommy stares at her intensely. Is it because, in costume, Niamh is the mirror image of freckled, dark-haired Jane, who died tragically? Or is romance brewing between them? Haunting, gothic overtones appear as new friend Jess helps Niamh research attacks similar to the ones on her friends—some of which took place in Victorian times. In an eerie twist, Niamh begins to feel as though Jane is trying to communicate something to her. There are red herrings throughout, and the reveals are deliciously paced. Readers will be on edge trying to determine the link between the historic attacks and the current-day events and how Tommy fits into everything. Niamh may read as swoony, but at critical moments she proves quite capable of saving herself. The cast is primarily white; Jess has brown skin and “tight curls.”
Tightly plotted and thrilling, this book will grab readers by the throat. (Thriller. 13-18)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9780593705544
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
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
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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