Deeply moving and beautifully written.
In 1955, a 17-year-old Arizona girl’s life is upended by the murders of her close friends.
During an era of de facto school segregation, light-skinned Mexican American Rosa Capistrano has quietly gone by “Rosie” and pretended to be white ever since enrolling in a white high school, hoping for a better chance at getting into college. Rosa dreams of becoming a writer but struggles under the chauvinistic editor of her school paper. Her worlds collide explosively when her childhood best friend, brown-skinned, Mexican American Ramón, and her best friend at school, Julianne, the white sheriff’s daughter, quickly fall in love. The pair idealistically hope to fight racism by attending a school dance together, publicly celebrating the power of love and equality. Tragically, they’re shot to death before they have the chance—and Rosa is the sole witness. Tensions run high in town as people mourn both teens, and danger threatens the people Rosa loves after the killer attempts a coverup. Rosa is drawn to Ramón’s brooding older brother, Marco, by their shared grief and desire for justice. She must also decide whether to risk everything to use her voice. The story shows the positive impact of inspirational community members who are working for a better future. Readers will be drawn into this compelling story and root for heartbroken Rosa as she struggles to find the courage to tell the truth.
Deeply moving and beautifully written. (author’s note, further reading) (Historical fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
ISBN: 9780593525579
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2025
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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