Offbeat, quirky, and full of heart.
An acerbic preteen finds tenderness amid tension, tumult, and tap dancing.
Set in Newfoundland, possibly the most Irish place beyond the Emerald Isle, this novel explores the quirky, crushing world of St. John’s. Readers have the pleasure of 12-year-old Finbar “Barry” Turlough Squires’ company. Known for his short fuse and tendency to succumb to malapropisms, Barry longs for a reputation founded on something—anything—other than the port-wine birthmark on his cheek. When the Full Tilt Dancers, an Irish step dance group, perform at a bingo hall, he decides he’s destined to jig his way to renown—but his terpsichorean efforts fall far short of his verbal prowess. The unintentionally humorous narration and luminous wit contrast with Barry’s stark realities, from his mother’s crippling depression to his teenage sister’s unexpected pregnancy and, finally, an unimaginable tragedy that shakes his family to its core. Buoyed by adorable baby brother, Gord; best friend, Saibal, the son of two doctors who is often mistaken for a refugee; Uneven Steven, a homeless Cockney who claims to have played with the Beatles and Rolling Stones; and residents of the One Step Closer to God nursing home, Barry’s quest for footloose fame instead takes him on a grand tour of humanity. Excepting Saibal’s Indian Canadian family, all characters are White.
Offbeat, quirky, and full of heart. (Realistic fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-7352-6746-6
Page Count: 232
Publisher: Penguin Teen
Review Posted Online: July 7, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
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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