An accessible story for reluctant readers about balancing stress with self-discovery.
A high-achieving high school golfer discovers unexpected artistic talents while navigating parental pressure and anger management issues.
Dex excels at everything—sports, academics, and meeting his successful parents’ sky-high expectations. His mother is a COO, his father a former college athlete turned real estate broker who preaches “Play / the long game. // Plan / for the future.” When Dex’s volatile temper costs him a spot on the varsity golf team, he’s given a monthlong suspension from sports. During this exile, he finds refuge in the art room where his classmate and love interest, Hazel (who’s facing her own family issues), introduces him to painting. Their collaborative artwork becomes both a creative outlet and a path to emotional regulation for Dex, while offering Hazel the hope of winning much-needed prize money to cover the tuition at their private school. Aro’s verse novel employs sparse, straightforward language that efficiently conveys Dex’s internal struggles without unnecessary flourishes. The golf glossary—presented at the beginning of the book—proves helpful for readers unfamiliar with the sport’s terminology. The story refreshingly portrays a male athlete exploring artistic expression, although the pretty cover design may not appeal to the very readers who would benefit most from Dex’s journey. The story wraps up with conflicts being neatly and easily resolved, but the core message about finding healthy outlets for intense emotions resonates. Dex and Hazel present white.
An accessible story for reluctant readers about balancing stress with self-discovery. (Verse fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2025
ISBN: 9781978598072
Page Count: 200
Publisher: West 44 Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
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
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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