Mayali is a fugitive from her home world of Zolpash, which is ruled by the Spider gods and their armies, who now have plans to invade Earth—it’s up to Mayali to thwart them.
She risks all to seek her father, who escaped years ago, ending up in Guyana. There, she meets Joseph, an astute, tech-savvy, deaf-mute young man who shares a connection with her neither of them could have predicted and turns out to be more helpful than Mayali could’ve imagined. Together, Joseph and Mayali embark on an adventure that finds them making new friends and foes, unraveling lies and cover-ups, and learning repeatedly that, even with the potential dangers, knowing whom to turn to can sometimes be as simple as trusting your gut. In trying to free herself and her people, Mayali navigates this new world with wit and moxie that make her an admirable protagonist. Brisk pacing and third-person chapters that alternate between the two Amerindian teens will have readers rooting for this duo and their allies—whoever they may really be. This Jamaican import, winner of the 2015 Burt Award for Caribbean Literature, is notable for the author’s fresh and clever take on Caribbean and Greek mythologies. With dialogue that deftly stays authentic while bridging the worlds of Guyana’s colonial past and its modern state, this story is magical realism at its best.
Guyanese author Baksh weaves a mesmerizing web in his debut. (Fantasy. 12-16)Pub Date: July 15, 2016
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Blue Moon
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
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BOOK REVIEW
A DNA test reveals that Abby has a sister she never knew about—and they head off to summer camp together to uncover family secrets.
When 16-year-old Abby’s best friend and secret crush, Leo, asks her to do a mail-in DNA test with him, Abby mostly agrees to give him a little push, as he clearly wants to find out more about his birth family. While the results don’t help Leo, they bring a shocking result for Abby: She has a full-blooded sister, 18-year-old Instagram wellness star Savvy, who lives in another Seattle suburb. After meeting and realizing their respective parents used to be friends, the two girls decide to meet again at summer camp. Unfortunately, camp gets off to a rough start; Savvy is a stickler for rules, Abby didn’t read the rules in the first place, and Leo is a camp chef, which only intensifies Abby’s feelings for him. With a summer full of new friends, hijinks, delicious food, and digging up secrets, Abby has to learn to lean in and own up to the complicated parts of life. This is a heartwarming novel of friendship and family, with a little romance. The story and characters have depth and emotion, touching on topics of broken friendships, losing a loved one, deception, social media, and pursuing what you love. Abby, Savvy, and Leo’s adoptive parents are White; Leo is Filipino.
A cute, feel-good coming-of-age story. (Fiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-23730-9
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 22, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020
Categories: TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FAMILY | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION
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BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A gripping thriller in dystopic future Los Angeles.
Fifteen-year-olds June and Day live completely different lives in the glorious Republic. June is rich and brilliant, the only candidate ever to get a perfect score in the Trials, and is destined for a glowing career in the military. She looks forward to the day when she can join up and fight the Republic’s treacherous enemies east of the Dakotas. Day, on the other hand, is an anonymous street rat, a slum child who failed his own Trial. He's also the Republic's most wanted criminal, prone to stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. When tragedies strike both their families, the two brilliant teens are thrown into direct opposition. In alternating first-person narratives, Day and June experience coming-of-age adventures in the midst of spying, theft and daredevil combat. Their voices are distinct and richly drawn, from Day’s self-deprecating affection for others to June's Holmesian attention to detail. All the flavor of a post-apocalyptic setting—plagues, class warfare, maniacal soldiers—escalates to greater complexity while leaving space for further worldbuilding in the sequel.
This is no didactic near-future warning of present evils, but a cinematic adventure featuring endearing, compelling heroes . (Science fiction. 12-14)Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-399-25675-2
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: April 8, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2011
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