For teens who want a realistic story but not the heft and extreme grittiness of Ellen Hopkins.
Sometimes the way to help others begins with helping yourself.
After her nightclub-dancer mom disappears from their Seattle apartment in this short, compelling debut, 15-year-old Stevie (named for the Fleetwood Mac singer) moves in with her Aunt Mindy for the summer rather than face child protective services. She struggles with her allegiance to her mother, whom she discovers has a crystal meth addiction, and Aunt Mindy, a tidy, nurturing yoga instructor. Also at odds are her feelings for “the Professor,” a smart fellow student she’s been crushing on, and Alan, a dropout who’s been in and out of foster homes all his life and is now finding his way as an assistant at a bird-rescue center. Because of the story’s length, some characters never fully develop, and resolutions come too quickly. So when Stevie catches the previously straightlaced Professor dabbling in drugs like a pro and she takes interest in an injured robin, it’s no surprise that she starts a relationship with Alan. But the birds serve a narrative purpose, symbolizing Stevie’s need for healing and to take flight away from her abusive home life. When her mother returns from an interrupted stint in rehab, she must decide who is part of her healing process.
For teens who want a realistic story but not the heft and extreme grittiness of Ellen Hopkins. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Dec. 19, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-51973-9
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: Oct. 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2011
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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