Still, the magic of falling in love (some hot kissing scenes) and the challenges of difficult moral decisions are...
Evie Gray is an American freshman at Oxford University with a few unusual twists to her life story.
Before Evie’s mother died years before, she mapped out her daughter’s life and transmitted instructions to her in the form of letters that are delivered each year on her birthday, guiding her in the fulfillment of her ultimate destiny. Of course there are bumps along the way, principally in connection with the first boy she falls for at Oxford, who just happens to be Prince Edmund, in line for the English throne. In this debut novel inspired by the recent royal wedding, Albright gives her readers an engaging and plausible glimpse into the lives of well-connected college students. When Evie eventually realizes who Edmund is, she determines that she will not allow his royal status to interfere with her genuine feelings for him. Evie is a fun and funny undergrad, a little immature for her age, who makes all the blunders and suffers all the embarrassment any teen can identify with. The up-to-the-minute dialogue may quickly become anachronistic (“Ew, creeptastic much?” comments Evie on finding out that her bitchy rival Jax has hired a PI to delve into her past), and the English students’ speech in particular frequently feels only superficially English.
Still, the magic of falling in love (some hot kissing scenes) and the challenges of difficult moral decisions are well-portrayed and have timeless appeal. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4405-9010-8
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Merit Press
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
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
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
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
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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