An appealing coming-of-age story that will engage reluctant readers.
Unable to express himself freely at home, a gay teen, the son of undocumented immigrants, finds solace in his writing.
The call comes in: Apá is returning home after not being able to find work due to an injury. Now, the tension between Edgar Jimenez’s parents boils over: Little income means that Amá stresses out about food and bills; Apá, in the meantime, finds escape in beer and television—when he’s not out of sorts. Edgar pours his thoughts and worries into his poetry as a way to explore his emotions. After all, he has a secret: He’s gay. Amá knows, but she encourages Edgar to keep this a secret from his dad. But one night, Edgar runs into his crush, Alex Cisneros, in his apartment complex, and it turns out that Alex has a secret as well, one that he confides in Edgar. As pressure builds at home, Edgar starts to hang out with Alex, who shows interest in him and his writing. The two Mexican American boys slowly bond over their troubles and fears even though Edgar finds it hard to overcome the pressures he feels from his parents. Tello’s YA debut is slim yet potent, simmering up until the ending that presents optimistic fragments full of vague possibilities that may both frustrate and delight. The author infuses some lovely imagery and Mexican folklore into this overall pleasing offering.
An appealing coming-of-age story that will engage reluctant readers. (Verse novel. 12-18)Pub Date: June 14, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-9785-9602-3
Page Count: 200
Publisher: West 44 Books
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2022
A thought-provoking exploration of storytelling dynamics in a social media–driven society.
A Black basketball star starts his senior year by pivoting to find his true voice in the classroom.
Ossie Brown was destined for greatness before an injury in a game ended his high school basketball career. Ossie feels like his future was stolen—and on top of that, his girlfriend dumps him. Grandma Alice comforts him with a reminder that basketball doesn’t define him; still, the game helped Ossie cope with his fractured relationship with his widowed mother. A new opportunity opens up when Ms. Hunt, Ossie’s Black English teacher at mostly white Braxton Academy, where he has a full-ride scholarship, tells him about the Mark Twain Creative Writing Program. A vivid dream in which his father speaks to him inspires Ossie’s application essay. He connects with Luis and Naima, the only other participants who aren’t white, but agitation by conservative students against a “woke agenda” leads to Ms. Hunt’s replacement by a teacher who exclusively uses texts by white authors. Ossie’s online attempt to support Naima’s protest has unintended consequences, and he’s forced to reevaluate his solo activism. The central characters’ relationships will engage readers, and Ossie’s dilemma will resonate with anyone whose good intentions have gone sideways. Committed, pragmatic, and reflective Ossie ultimately learns from Grandma Alice’s wise counsel: “This thing of ours—life, you see—is only as beautiful as the bonds we make as we journey through it.”
A thought-provoking exploration of storytelling dynamics in a social media–driven society. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9781536233469
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
A high-concept premise that falls short in its execution.
A teenage girl finds herself alone after everyone else in her town mysteriously disappears, leaving her scrambling to figure out how to find them all.
One late summer day, everybody in July Fielding’s town disappears. She is left to piece together what happened, following a series of cryptic signs she finds around town urging her to “GET THEM BACK.” The narrative moves back and forth between July’s present and the events of the summer before, when her relationship with her best friend, cross-country team co-captain Sydney, starts to fracture due to a combination of jealousy over July’s new relationship with a cute boy called Sam and sweet up-and-coming freshman Ella’s threatening to overtake Syd’s status as star of the track team. The team members participate in a ritual in which they jump off a cliff into the rocky waters below at the end of their Friday practice runs. Though Ella is reluctant, Syd pressures her to jump. Short, frenetically paced sections move the story along quickly, and there is much foreshadowing pointing to something terrible that occurred at the end of that summer, which may be the key to July’s current predicament, but there is much misdirection too. Ultimately this is a story without enough setup to make the turn the book takes in the end feel fully developed or earned. All characters read white.
A high-concept premise that falls short in its execution. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2023
ISBN: 9780593327173
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
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