A bittersweet and revelatory coming-of-age story by a promising author.
In Axel’s YA novel, a teenager struggles to find his identity and his place in society during a cross-country road trip with his grandmother.
Angst-ridden teens have long been a staple trope in fiction, but 18-year-old Oscar Danielsson finds that his familiar difficulties feel particularly daunting, due to his diagnosed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It’s a condition that requires him to take extra time to complete his school assignments and also leaves him habitually late for work. He’s struggling to finish his senior thesis and mend fences with his best friend, Christian, who notes, “You don’t reply to my texts for weeks.” Oscar’s life is further muddled by the fact that his go-to stress relief method is smoking cannabis; his pal scoffs that “the last time I saw you canni-sober was sophomore year.” Matters come to a head after Oscar is caught breaking into Chicago diner Oh Henry’s, where he works, and wrecking a new milkshake maker. Bright as he is, Oscar’s future seems irreparably damaged, yet he’s allowed a chance at redemption—if he agrees to join his grandmother on a cross-country road trip and pick up a new shake machine. Their ensuing odyssey through Fort Defiance in Illinois, Dallas, and Memphis favorably recalls the feel of classic 1970s road films, thanks in part to Oscar’s dry, sardonic asides: “I’m so itchy to smoke I might shed my skin,” he narrates at one point. Many young readers will readily identify with the young protagonist, who, deep down, underneath his wiseacre façade, simply wants to be accepted and loved. It’s a deft portrait that sidesteps stereotypes with sensitivity and skill, and, for many, it will strike a strong chord. Where Axel goes from here should prove to be exciting to watch.
A bittersweet and revelatory coming-of-age story by a promising author.Pub Date: Feb. 11, 2025
ISBN: 9798992065602
Page Count: 238
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
A powerful story of family, belonging, and identity interlaced with thriller elements.
A wary teen wonders if she should run when people come looking for her.
Lucy Smith was raised by her white father, who said little about her mother. Following his death and her stepmother’s abandonment, Lucy entered the foster care system at 14. Her stepmother revealed that Lucy’s birth mom was Native American, but her social worker urged her to keep that quiet. Battered by her time in the foster care system, it’s no wonder that 18-year-old Lucy is cautious when she’s approached by a man who says he’s an attorney who helps Native American foster kids connect with their families and communities. He introduces her to a friend who reveals to Lucy that she knows her Ojibwe maternal relatives—but a wary Lucy refuses her offer to learn more. Someone is stalking her, after all, and the FBI is investigating the bomb that went off in the diner where she worked—an event she’s sure targeted her. This stand-alone from bestseller Boulley, who’s an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, includes characters her fans will recognize from previous works. The action scenes are mediated by ruminations on the failings of the foster care system and strong portrayals of Lucy’s relationship with her father and her complicated identity. Ardent book lover Lucy is a sympathetic narrator whose strong sense of justice is coupled with a deep acceptance of others.
A powerful story of family, belonging, and identity interlaced with thriller elements. (content warning, author’s note) (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9781250328533
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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