An irreverent journey through despondency with some minor flaws.
An angry teen works out his issues.
Tomorrow will be the 1-year anniversary of Kirby’s worst day: the day his sister Melanie died. Since then Kirby has withdrawn from the world, letting his sorrow fester as he watches Die Hard over and over again. The only personal connections Kirby still maintains are his friendships with Jake and PJ. PJ is popular and likable; Jake, on the other hand, is “a real asshole.” The three boys get together for an evening of mischief, and things quickly go south. The next day at school Kirby struggles to avoid not just his own feelings about what happened, but also the school jocks looking for payback. The ensuing novel effectively externalizes Kirby’s emotional arc as he twists and turns to push himself forward. Kirby’s sullen anger could easily become repetitive, but the author cuts it with plenty of humor and a few moments of clarity, creating an engaging read. Less artfully drawn are the tertiary characters: Kirby’s parents and the school administrators are one-note obstacles for Kirby and his friends to move around but never truly engage with. In the end, Kirby achieves his presumed catharsis and readers will feel for him, but the story isn’t as rich as it could have been. PJ is the only character whose ethnicity is mentioned (he’s Puerto Rican); all others can be assumed white.
An irreverent journey through despondency with some minor flaws. (Fiction. 12-17)Pub Date: June 4, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5344-2717-4
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 12, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Several yards short of a touchdown.
A transgender boy starting over at a new school falls hard for a popular cheerleader with a reputation to protect in this debut.
On the first day of senior year, transgender boy Pony locks eyes with cisgender cheerleader Georgia. They both have pasts they want to leave behind. No one at Hillcrest High knows that Pony is transgender, and he intends to keep it that way. Georgia’s last boyfriend shook her trust in boys, and now she’s determined to forget him. As mutual attraction draws them together, Pony and Georgia must decide what they are willing to risk for a relationship. Pony’s best friend, Max, who is also transgender, disapproves of Pony’s choice to live stealth; this disagreement leads to serious conflict in their relationship. Meanwhile, Georgia and Pony behave as if Pony’s trans identity was a secret he was lying to her about rather than private information for him to share of his own volition. The characters only arrive at a hopeful resolution after Pony pays high physical and emotional prices. McSmith places repeated emphasis on the born-in-the-wrong-body narrative when the characters discuss trans identities. Whiteness is situated as the norm, and all main characters are white.
Several yards short of a touchdown. (Fiction. 14-17)Pub Date: May 26, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-294317-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
An emotional debut that celebrates the joy that comes from healing.
Two teens’ summer romance gets complicated by a long-kept family secret.
Jupiter Moon Ray Evans’ parents were in a car accident the day she was born—her father died, and her mom suddenly became both a widow and a mother. Ray is named after the dad she never knew, and his absence is a tangible part of her family. She hates that her birthday can never just be about her, but this year her best friend from boarding school is coming to Memphis, and they are celebrating at the roller rink, the one place Ray can get lost in her own world. While skating she meets Orion, and for both of them, it is love at first sight. Orion is also missing a piece of his family: Almost 10 years ago his little sister was hit and killed by a bus, and his happy family was destroyed. Orion finds a feeling of peace in swimming, which helps with his sensory processing disorder as well as providing an escape from his dad’s grief. Although the two Black teens will be in different states in the fall, they tentatively pursue a relationship. However, when a family secret that links them is revealed, they must decide if they can ever be anything to one another. Through a blend of prose and found poetry, this quiet novel thoughtfully explores the impact of absence on love.
An emotional debut that celebrates the joy that comes from healing. (Fiction. 13-17)Pub Date: May 31, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-42925-9
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2022
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