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ESCAPE FROM THE WILDFIRE

The finely detailed plot unwinds slowly, but make no mistake—it’s a page-turner.

This fact-based novel brings to life the 2021 wildfire that devastated Lytton, British Columbia.

With his sister away planting trees and their dad helping fight wildfires up north, Jack, 14, plans to spend the summer biking, working at the pool, gaming with friends, and pursuing his crush, who founded a biodiversity club. There’s not much to do in tiny Lytton, but it’s home: The scenic wilderness surrounding it has miles of biking trails and a terrific swimming hole. Life feels normal, yet Jack’s world is changing. His mom’s away in Victoria when the sweltering, tinder-dry village erupts in a fiery inferno, leaving Lytton a burned-out ruin. Accommodated in a nearby town, the residents take stock. Fire has consumed the Chinese History Museum that honored the laborers—including one of Jack’s great-grandfathers (the rest of his family is implied White)—who built railroads through B.C.’s steep mountains but were erased from history. His friend Rory’s First Nations community, whose land Lytton occupies, has suffered significant losses. The townspeople scatter—some never to return, moving in with relatives or starting over elsewhere. Itemizing his lost items for insurance purposes, Jack ponders intangible losses like community and safety and contemplates how to restore them. Surviving Alberta’s devastating 2016 House River Wildfire has given Bentley deep insights into her subject. Straightforward characterization and understated narration make this a strong choice for reluctant readers.

The finely detailed plot unwinds slowly, but make no mistake—it’s a page-turner. (author’s note, study questions, resources) (Fiction. 12-18)

Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2023

ISBN: 978-1-4594-1703-8

Page Count: 136

Publisher: James Lorimer

Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2022

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IF HE HAD BEEN WITH ME

There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.

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  • New York Times Bestseller

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

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INDIVISIBLE

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

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