Teens willing to forgive the flaws will find this a fascinating exploration. (Fiction. 14 & up)
One teen invents a system to achieve popularity.
At first, 16-year-old Cara is not thrilled with her family’s decision to relocate midway through high school, especially since it means leaving her best and pretty much exclusive friend, Claudia, behind. However, when Claudia points out that this is Cara’s chance to totally reinvent herself, she begins to warm to the idea. Determined to reach the top of the high-school food chain and shake off her less-than-exciting lifelong reputation, Cara invents The Ladder with Claudia. They believe this is Cara’s chance to claim her rightful place among her new school’s popular crowd—or, as the friends have dubbed them, the Populazzi. The Ladder posits that every rung is a boyfriend who will help Cara date her way to popularity. However, Cara’s ascent is not without peril, as she quickly discovers that climbing The Ladder means drastically changing her personality, stepping on some toes, breaking hearts and risking everything, including her dream of attending Northwestern. Although it is somewhat predictable, the story unflinchingly depicts the dark and dangerous side of high-school popularity, making it a captivating read. However, this attention to details makes it all the more noticeable when certain story elements are unexpectedly dropped or situations seem unrealistically twisted to conveniently fit The Ladder.
Teens willing to forgive the flaws will find this a fascinating exploration. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-48153-1
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2011
An inspiring, powerful tale of belonging.
The follow-up to Lobizona (2020) sees its protagonist’s fight for equality and acceptance reach new heights.
After the events of the first book, Manu and her friends flee their magical school and are on the run to avoid the Cazadores who aim to capture anyone who doesn’t conform to the stringent gender binary laws of their world. Manu, as the first ever known female werewolf and a Septimus/human hybrid to boot, could lose her life if she’s discovered. Illegal in both worlds, Manu’s only chance is to find the Coven, a legendary underground movement of outcasts who she hopes will welcome them with open arms. Once she meets the people of the Coven, Manu encounters a world full of Septimus who are willing to risk anything for change. But how far is Manu willing to go? In this effervescent sequel full of magic and beautiful imagery, Manu learns to reclaim her own narrative and, together with her lovable found family, including misfits Saysa and Cata as well as boyfriend Tiago, stake out a place in the world where she belongs. Refreshingly, Manu and her friends are not presented as uniquely positioned to change the world: They join a multigenerational, ongoing fight against oppression that aims to give voice to the nonconforming voiceless. All characters are Argentine, with a variety of skin tones, gender identities, and sexualities.
An inspiring, powerful tale of belonging. (Paranormal. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 17, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-23915-0
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A suspenseful tale filled with Ojibwe knowledge, hockey, and the politics of status.
Testing the strength of family bonds is never easy—and lies make it even harder.
Daunis is trying to balance her two communities: The Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, teen is constantly adapting, whether she is with her Anishinaabe father’s side of the family, the Firekeepers, or the Fontaines, her White mother’s wealthy relatives. She has grand plans for her future, as she wants to become a doctor, but has decided to defer her plans to go away for college because her maternal grandmother is recovering from a stroke. Daunis spends her free time playing hockey with her Firekeeper half brother, Levi, but tragedy strikes, and she discovers someone is selling a dangerous new form of meth—and the bodies are piling up. While trying to figure out who is behind this, Daunis pulls away from her family, covering up where she has been and what she has been doing. While dealing with tough topics like rape, drugs, racism, and death, this book balances the darkness with Ojibwe cultural texture and well-crafted characters. Daunis is a three-dimensional, realistically imperfect girl trying her best to handle everything happening around her. The first-person narration reveals her internal monologue, allowing readers to learn what’s going on in her head as she encounters anti-Indian bias and deals with grief.
A suspenseful tale filled with Ojibwe knowledge, hockey, and the politics of status. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-76656-4
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Dec. 9, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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