While attempting to address serious issues, the book fails to reflect real-life complexities or nuances, instead mirroring...
Despite their differences, three teens become friends.
Paul’s a short guy. By the time he reaches high school, he’s well aware that his stature puts him in the crosshairs of bullies. When Paul, who is white, meets the Hawaiian newcomer, Kamakanamakamaemaikalani Pohaku—or, Big—a 300-plus-pound, cheerful transfer student, and overcomes his fear of Lily Small, a black Kenyan girl adopted by white parents whose height and race make her stand out in their homogeneous school, he discovers true friendship. An avid rock climber, Paul’s hobby increases his confidence, which becomes important when crises strike. Unfortunately, the interest the book builds through showing a diversity of experiences is negated by two-dimensional, stereotypical characterizations. Though Paul develops a crush on her, descriptions of Lily repeatedly evoke the angry, violent, black woman trope (“It wasn’t hard to imagine her breaking my neck with those arms”; “I had to remind myself she was a vicious predator”) as well as culturally inaccurate depictions of the Maasai. Big’s descriptions recall condescending images of ever smiling plus-sized people and happy-go-lucky Polynesians (“He lumbered down the hall with a big, friendly smile on his face that made me think he was imagining himself on a beach, holding a drink with an umbrella”). A woman with mental illness is portrayed as hysterical and irrational.
While attempting to address serious issues, the book fails to reflect real-life complexities or nuances, instead mirroring troubling stereotypes. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-62972-602-1
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Review Posted Online: Aug. 4, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2019
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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