by Ilana Manaster ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 7, 2016
While some might find pleasure in the ironic tone of this novel, overall it’s trifling at best
A retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray set in a New England prep school.
There may not be many teens acquainted with Oscar Wilde’s classic novel, but there are plenty who are familiar with clichéd mean-girl books. At predominately white Chandler Academy, Heidi rules the social roost. When roommate Biz’s pimply cousin, Doreen Gray, transfers to Chandler, Heidi oversees her makeover. Biz’s touched-up photo on the school social media site makes Doreen look glamorous, and soon Doreen has traded places with the image. Under Heidi’s tutelage, Doreen surrounds herself with snobbish friends, collects designer bags, and tramples on boys’ hearts. There’s as much hedonism here as in Dorian Gray, but the plot focuses to a surprising extent on Heidi’s preoccupation with male approval as it wanders through the thematic territory of both Pygmalian and Heathers. According to malicious, blackmailing Heidi, it’s “important to be waited for, waited upon, but never to wait for anyone. It [makes] a woman seem desperate, like less of a prize.” The narrative is full of 19th-century language (“I cannot tolerate this inconstancy. Resolve yourself”) oddly juxtaposed with more pedestrian prose: “then Doreen would tell him, in no uncertain terms, to go fuck himself.”
While some might find pleasure in the ironic tone of this novel, overall it’s trifling at best . (Fiction. 14-17)Pub Date: June 7, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7624-5962-9
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Running Press Teens
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2016
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by Tobly McSmith ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 26, 2020
Several yards short of a touchdown.
A transgender boy starting over at a new school falls hard for a popular cheerleader with a reputation to protect in this debut.
On the first day of senior year, transgender boy Pony locks eyes with cisgender cheerleader Georgia. They both have pasts they want to leave behind. No one at Hillcrest High knows that Pony is transgender, and he intends to keep it that way. Georgia’s last boyfriend shook her trust in boys, and now she’s determined to forget him. As mutual attraction draws them together, Pony and Georgia must decide what they are willing to risk for a relationship. Pony’s best friend, Max, who is also transgender, disapproves of Pony’s choice to live stealth; this disagreement leads to serious conflict in their relationship. Meanwhile, Georgia and Pony behave as if Pony’s trans identity was a secret he was lying to her about rather than private information for him to share of his own volition. The characters only arrive at a hopeful resolution after Pony pays high physical and emotional prices. McSmith places repeated emphasis on the born-in-the-wrong-body narrative when the characters discuss trans identities. Whiteness is situated as the norm, and all main characters are white.
Several yards short of a touchdown. (Fiction. 14-17)Pub Date: May 26, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-294317-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
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by Alexandra Monir ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 18, 2020
Breezy, silly, unremarkable fun.
This sequel to The Final Six (2018) raises the stakes for its spacefaring teen astronauts.
Naomi Ardalan and the other Final Six are on their journey to colonize Jupiter’s moon Europa, leading the way for humans to eventually leave a dying Earth. Naomi is the only one in the group who knows that the leaders of the International Space Training Camp are keeping the truth from them, and it is down to her to discover whether there is alien life on Europa before they land. Back on Earth, and unbeknownst to the crew, left-behind recruit Leo Danieli works with genius doctor Greta Wagner to launch a solo mission to intercept and join Naomi’s ship in order to bring them news that not only is there definitely life on Europa, but they are set to land in its most dangerous zone. As the two missions and alternating narratives converge, the unthinkable happens—and everything changes. Fast-paced and plot-driven, the novel decidedly veers into science fiction horror territory with plenty of scares that readers willing to suspend disbelief and embrace the teenagers-in-space setup are likely to enjoy. The syrupy romance between Leo and Naomi continues, and a new layer is added to the story with a frustratingly too-brief examination of colonization and first contact. Naomi is Iranian American, Leo is Italian, and the human cast is international.
Breezy, silly, unremarkable fun. (Science fiction horror. 14-17)Pub Date: Feb. 18, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-265897-5
Page Count: 320
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
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