An often clever and tightly paced YA romp.
A confident city girl’s parents drag her to a North Dakota historical reenactment camp for the whole summer in Burrows’ YA series starter.
Fifteen-year-old Chloe Crandall has never understood her history professor parents, preferring instead to focus on fashion, her role as “social director” for her Manhattanite friends, and her reporting for the school newspaper. She’s unprepared when her parents announce that the family will be spending the summer at the Dooleyville Black Powder Rendezvous, an ultra-accurate historical reenactment site in rural North Dakota; it’s aimed at fans of the 1830s fur trading era known as “The Shining Times.” There, Chloe feels stranded without any of her modern comforts, and the reenactment veterans regard her as a nuisance. Things get more complicated as Chloe becomes ensnared in family feuds, star-crossed romances, rowdy cowboy concerts, tomahawk competitions, and even life-threatening natural disasters. All the while, she tries to stay true to herself—and maybe catch the eye of the camp director’s handsome nephew in the process. Burrows employs a witty narrative voice and a unique setting that informs readers about the 1830s frontier and the world of avid historical reenactors. Burrows touches on such pertinent topics as the importance of natural preservation and the plight of small family farms under the thumb of corporate interests. However, certain White characters problematically role-play as 19th-century Native Americans, and little time is spent reflecting little on the experiences of actual Indigenous peoples. That said, the Rendezvous and its inhabitants feel convincing and well-developed. The real star of the show is Chloe, whose strong personality and nuanced first-person perspective makes her a likable and relatably flawed protagonist. The increasingly wild situations test her mettle but also allow her to grow into a more resilient person.
An often clever and tightly paced YA romp.Pub Date: Nov. 20, 2020
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Glenarvon Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2021
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 book that seamlessly brings readers along on a journey of impact and empowerment.
A manifesto for budding feminists.
At the core of this engaging novel are besties Chelsea, who is Irish- and Italian-American and into fashion and beauty, and Jasmine, who is African-American, loves the theater, and pushes back against bias around size (“I don’t need your fake compliments, your pity. I know I’m beautiful. Inside and out”). They and their sidekicks, half-Japanese/half-Lebanese Nadine and Puerto Rican Isaac, grow into first-class activists—simultaneously educating their peers and readers. The year gets off to a rocky start at their progressive, social justice–oriented New York City high school: Along with the usual angst many students experience, Jasmine’s father is terminally ill with cancer, and after things go badly in both their clubs, Jasmine and Chelsea form a women’s rights club which becomes the catalyst for their growth as they explore gender inequality and opportunities for change. This is an inspiring look at two strong-willed teens growing into even stronger young women ready to use their voices and take on the world, imploring budding feminists everywhere to “join the revolution.” The book offers a poetic balance of dialogue among the main characters, their peers, and the adults in their lives. The exquisite pacing, which intersperses everyday teen conflicts with weightier issues, demonstrates how teens long to be heard and taken seriously.
A book that seamlessly brings readers along on a journey of impact and empowerment. (resources for young activists, endnotes) (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Feb. 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0008-3
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2019
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