Hard to say who will love this most: the women who lived the 1990s or their teen daughters.
Flo and Renée are back with their angst-filled, sex-preoccupied lives, full of cigarettes and drinking and drugs—only this time graduation looms, so they think about serious stuff, too.
With an updated list of teen issues—the generic bullying of Paper Airplanes (2014) is now homophobia; slut-shaming rears its ugly head—O'Porter returns to 1997 Guernsey. There are no soft blurry edges here, just more tragedy, pain, and misunderstandings as two best friends edge their ways toward adulthood. But there is genuine, edgy humor, too; Flo wonders, “Why did I have to pick a bigger virgin than me to be my first boyfriend?” and Renée leads a late-night raid on their old school that includes the good reminders of early friendship, the bad memories of traumas and loss, and the ugly (they witness adult sex), with some impromptu larceny thrown in. Both girls enter serious relationships, one with Jesus, the other in a less spiritual union; both contemplate the deeper meaning of life. Wise Aunt Jo returns; while looking for Mr. Right, she considers teen lives through the lens of midlife regrets in passages that will broaden the novel's appeal to adult readers. The pace is fast, the explorations of the redemptive powers of forgiveness and strong female friendship thorough, and the door is open for future installations.
Hard to say who will love this most: the women who lived the 1990s or their teen daughters. (Historical fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4197-1645-4
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2015
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
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
Black is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy.
Jude—broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness—has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. Human Jude (whose brown hair curls and whose skin color is never described) both hates and loves Madoc, whose murderous nature is true to his Faerie self and who in his way loves her. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. Black’s latest looks at nature and nurture and spins a tale of court intrigue, bloodshed, and a truly messed-up relationship that might be the saving of Jude and the titular prince, who, like Jude, has been shaped by the cruelties of others. Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life.
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-31027-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
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