by Fred Misurella ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 2020
A rich, if slightly rambling, study of a troubled teen’s life on the margins.
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In Misurella’s YA novel, a homeless girl narrates the trials of growing up on her own.
Fourteen-year-old Jamie Sasso isn’t living the life of most high schoolers. After the death of her parents, two years apart, and an unsuccessful trip through the foster care system, she finds herself living alone in an abandoned Pontiac Bonneville in the woods outside her suburban town. She manages to get a daily shower by joining the boys’ cross-country team, but she’s forced to put up with sexual harassment by her male teammates and by her adult coach, Mr. Span. Every other week, she goes to talk to her social worker, Dominic Santa, who does what he can give her life a semblance of normalcy. She finally finds a bit of security when she meets high school junior Misha Alto, a loner and dancing enthusiast who takes Jamie under his wing and helps her understand how the rest of the community views her. Jamie begins to spend a lot of time at Misha’s house, where his parents—a professor and an artist—give them the freedom to act like normal teens. Jamie’s relationship with Misha helps her develop a sense of trust and stability, but her outsider status in the community still threatens her well-being. It comes to a head when her Pontiac is destroyed, leaving her without a home. Can Jamie sort through the losses and betrayals of her past and present to figure out a way forward—at least to high school graduation, and maybe to college and whatever lies beyond?
The story is narrated by a slightly more mature, 19-year-old Jamie, and Misurella’s prose is plainspoken but elegant while depicting her thoughts and feelings: “The moon glowed in the water, with one of the two planets and a couple stars accompanying it now, an occasional ripple from the breeze warping the reflected sky.” Jamie is a complex character with a difficult story, and readers are certain to sympathize with her plights. The author largely avoids easy fixes or neat solutions, which adds to the novel’s sense of verisimilitude. The plot is a bit shapeless and overlong, and there are a few moments in which Jamie’s actions or reactions feel a bit unrealistic. Overall, though, Misurella manages to paint a portrait of teen homelessness that likely won’t be what readers expect, featuring a girl who’s very much a presence in a community, although very few of its members bother to help her out: “As Misha would tell me later, I just looked unattached, maybe a little wild, as if I didn’t belong anywhere, or didn’t want to, certainly not with upscale suburban high school kids from streets that used to be fields of corn.” Jamie’s story combines many of the everyday anxieties and experiences of growing up with others that are specific to her situation, and Misurella manages to find a compelling tale in the tension between the two.
A rich, if slightly rambling, study of a troubled teen’s life on the margins.Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2020
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 306
Publisher: Manuscript
Review Posted Online: Aug. 28, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by Kwame Alexander with Mary Rand Hess ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 2017
A contemporary hero’s journey, brilliantly told.
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The 17-year-old son of a troubled rock star is determined to find his own way in life and love.
On the verge of adulthood, Blade Morrison wants to leave his father’s bad-boy reputation for drug-and-alcohol–induced antics and his sister’s edgy lifestyle behind. The death of his mother 10 years ago left them all without an anchor. Named for the black superhero, Blade shares his family’s connection to music but resents the paparazzi that prevent him from having an open relationship with the girl that he loves. However, there is one secret even Blade is unaware of, and when his sister reveals the truth of his heritage during a bitter fight, Blade is stunned. When he finally gains some measure of equilibrium, he decides to investigate, embarking on a search that will lead him to a small, remote village in Ghana. Along the way, he meets people with a sense of purpose, especially Joy, a young Ghanaian who helps him despite her suspicions of Americans. This rich novel in verse is full of the music that forms its core. In addition to Alexander and co-author Hess’ skilled use of language, references to classic rock songs abound. Secondary characters add texture to the story: does his girlfriend have real feelings for Blade? Is there more to his father than his inability to stay clean and sober? At the center is Blade, fully realized and achingly real in his pain and confusion.
A contemporary hero’s journey, brilliantly told. (Verse fiction. 14-adult)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-310-76183-9
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Blink
Review Posted Online: April 30, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2017
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by Elana K. Arnold ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 25, 2020
A timely and unabashedly feminist twist on a classic fairy tale.
Sixteen-year-old Bisou Martel’s life takes a profound turn after encountering an aggressive wolf.
Following an embarrassing incident between Bisou and her boyfriend, James, after the homecoming dance, a humiliated Bisou runs into the Pacific Northwest woods. There, she kills a giant wolf who viciously attacks her, upending the quiet life she’s lived with her Mémé, a poet, since her mother’s violent death. The next day it’s revealed that her classmate Tucker— who drunkenly came on to her at the dance—was found dead in the woods with wounds identical to the ones Bisou inflicted on the wolf. When she rescues Keisha, an outspoken journalist for the school paper, from a similar wolf attack, Bisou gains an ally, and her Mémé reveals her bloody and brave legacy, which is inextricably tied to the moon and her menstrual cycle. Bisou needs her new powers in the coming days, as more wolves lie in wait. Arnold (Damsel, 2018, etc.) uses an intriguing blend of magic realism, lyrical prose, and imagery that evokes intimate physical and emotional aspects of young womanhood. Bisou’s loving relationship with gentle, kind James contrasts with the frank exploration of male entitlement and the disturbing incel phenomenon. Bisou and Mémé seem to be white, Keisha is cued as black, James has light-brown skin and black eyes, and there is diversity in the supporting cast.
A timely and unabashedly feminist twist on a classic fairy tale. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 25, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-274235-3
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
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