A smartly crafted coming-of-age twist on a classic survival plot.
In LoPresto’s YA novel, two young girls, adrift in their lives, suddenly find themselves stranded on an island.
The author’s latest offering delivers an effective twist on a tale of survivors pushed to their limits by unthinkable circumstances. Thirteen-year-old Grace Cruz is stuck on a boat trip with friends who won’t talk to her, making the whole affair seem like a “big parent conspiracy to get their kids back together.” Boredom yields to terror, though, when a violent storm upends the boat, and Grace finds herself floating helplessly off the coast of Maine. She encounters a fellow castoff in 18-year-old Sam White, a passenger on a small plane that recently crashed into the sea. Before disaster struck, Sam, a recent high school graduate, was struggling; she couldn’t envision the next step in her life, beyond taking a part-time job, “like at a fast-food restaurant or something”—much to the disappointment of her parents, who expected her to go to college. Now, Grace and Sam must find a way to survive the dangers of the storm and work toward getting rescued. They soon manage to swim to a rocky island, but it doesn’t mean the end of their problems. As they navigate such issues as finding fresh water and food, Sam and Grace must also try to resolve their inner struggles for acceptance: “We’re both cast off,” Sam matter-of-factly informs her newfound friend. LoPresto presents a briskly told and effective tale that works on two levels—as an account of a struggle for survival, and as a story of a quest for personal identity. Sam and Grace are awkward and self-effacing yet fiercely committed to their emerging visions for themselves. It’s an emotional conflict that many teenagers experience, and it will feel instantly relatable to that audience—whether they focus solely on the main characters’ fight to get back to the mainland, or their journey to learn who they are. Whatever readers decide, they’ll find it a trip worth taking.
A smartly crafted coming-of-age twist on a classic survival plot.Pub Date: March 15, 2025
ISBN: 9798310853386
Page Count: 63
Publisher: KDP Amazon
Review Posted Online: Nov. 11, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Despite some missteps, this will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh and realistic teen voice.
A teenage, not-so-lonely loner endures the wilds of high school in Austin, Texas.
Norris Kaplan, the protagonist of Philippe’s debut novel, is a hypersweaty, uber-snarky black, Haitian, French-Canadian pushing to survive life in his new school. His professor mom’s new tenure-track job transplants Norris mid–school year, and his biting wit and sarcasm are exposed through his cataloging of his new world in a field guide–style burn book. He’s greeted in his new life by an assortment of acquaintances, Liam, who is white and struggling with depression; Maddie, a self-sacrificing white cheerleader with a heart of gold; and Aarti, his Indian-American love interest who offers connection. Norris’ ego, fueled by his insecurities, often gets in the way of meaningful character development. The scenes showcasing his emotional growth are too brief and, despite foreshadowing, the climax falls flat because he still gets incredible personal access to people he’s hurt. A scene where Norris is confronted by his mother for getting drunk and belligerent with a white cop is diluted by his refusal or inability to grasp the severity of the situation and the resultant minor consequences. The humor is spot-on, as is the representation of the black diaspora; the opportunity for broader conversations about other topics is there, however, the uneven buildup of detailed, meaningful exchanges and the glibness of Norris’ voice detract.
Despite some missteps, this will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh and realistic teen voice. (Fiction. 13-16)Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-282411-0
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel,...
Adventure drags our heroine all over the map of fantasyland while giving her the opportunity to use her smarts.
Elisa—Princess Lucero-Elisa de Riqueza of Orovalle—has been chosen for Service since the day she was born, when a beam of holy light put a Godstone in her navel. She's a devout reader of holy books and is well-versed in the military strategy text Belleza Guerra, but she has been kept in ignorance of world affairs. With no warning, this fat, self-loathing princess is married off to a distant king and is embroiled in political and spiritual intrigue. War is coming, and perhaps only Elisa's Godstone—and knowledge from the Belleza Guerra—can save them. Elisa uses her untried strategic knowledge to always-good effect. With a character so smart that she doesn't have much to learn, body size is stereotypically substituted for character development. Elisa’s "mountainous" body shrivels away when she spends a month on forced march eating rat, and thus she is a better person. Still, it's wonderfully refreshing to see a heroine using her brain to win a war rather than strapping on a sword and charging into battle.
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel, reminiscent of Naomi Kritzer's Fires of the Faithful (2002), keeps this entry fresh. (Fantasy. 12-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-202648-4
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
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