A fast-paced romantic drama with a touch of Roma magic.
When a teenage girl in 1925 Chicago kills her violent stepfather, her mother takes the blame in this YA novel.
Carola Pawlak, 15, living in Chicago’s Polish Town, is shy, studious, and badly dressed, although other girls sometimes say her looks are “promising.” She dreams of becoming a writer and has few friends other than Stan Carlson, a handsome Roma boy. She and her sweet mother, Maria, walk on eggshells around Carola’s angry, explosive stepfather, Henry Jaworski. That is, until a fight one day in which Carola, trying to protect her mother, strikes back. He attempts to destroy a prized silver amulet that Stan gave her—but it has a hidden knife, and Carola plunges it into Henry’s chest. Maria confesses to the crime, forcing a promise from Carola to go along, and is arrested. Unexpected help then arrives: Louise Lazaar, “the Chicago Tribune’s leading ‘sob sister.’ ” Sensing a story, Lazaar brings Carola to see T.J. O’Malley, Chicago’s best criminal lawyer, who takes her mother’s case. Carola gets a makeover—bobbed hair, cosmetics, new clothes—and Lazaar dubs her and Maria the “Mother-Daughter Angels,” writing stories such as, “‘She Did It for Me,’ Says Angel Daughter.” But Maria’s still in danger from other prisoners, and Carola learns that Stan’s in trouble for giving her the mysterious amulet. Arbeiter (A Mouton Coat: The Hunt for a Mother’s Story, 2013, etc.) offers a sympathetic YA heroine who’s also conventional in that she doesn’t feel beautiful but is, and she wants to be a writer. Her romance with Stan is sweet and provides a little heat, and Carola has a chance to play the rescuer instead of the rescuee, which is unusual in the YA genre. The 1920s setting is also vivid; Arbeiter gives a well-rounded sense of the era’s highlights, such as flappers and actor Rudolph Valentino, and challenges, such as crime and injustice.
A fast-paced romantic drama with a touch of Roma magic.Pub Date: June 18, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-938812-59-0
Page Count: 239
Publisher: Full Court Press
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A well-constructed but generic foray into the world of high school dating.
A high school musician embarks on a rocky relationship in this debut YA romance.
Avery Jennings, an out lesbian, faces big decisions in her senior year of high school, such as whether to participate in the school’s new Gay-Straight Alliance club, whether to go to the prom, and whether to move to Austin after graduation with her punk band, Detonate the Gazelle. But her biggest worry is her growing attraction to Madison, a popular, apparently straight girl who’s dating one of the school’s biggest bullies, and who also acts as a liaison between the student council and the Lion Pride alliance club. Avery isn’t good at hiding her feelings, but after a few embarrassing missteps, she realizes that Madison is also attracted to her; she’s just not ready to let the secret out yet. The two girls’ relationship is further hampered by Avery’s jealousy and uncertainty about the future and Madison’s fear of what others will think, but if they can overcome their concerns about being together, they could end up uniting the school in a brand-new way. They figure out their feelings to a playlist of rock and punk songs, compiled in a list for readers at the end. Most of the characters in this book are well-rounded and believable, and teenage readers who enjoy romances will likely find it entertaining. But no one who’s ever seen a rom-com, like the ones that Avery and her friend Scott like to watch (including the fictional Arbor Day, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper), will be surprised by any plot points or lines of dialogue here. Aside from the fact that the two main players are both women, the story is often formulaic and clichéd. For example, as always in high school dramas, adults play no part in the events, except for a few scenes in which Avery’s mom shows up to say things such as “Good luck at your show.”
A well-constructed but generic foray into the world of high school dating.Pub Date: Nov. 22, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-9977659-1-5
Page Count: 264
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A sensitive YA tale about love, change, and loss, with an empowering message for girls.
A Louisiana teen embarks on a quest to secure a boyfriend while having to adjust to a new family and the serious illness of a beloved friend.
In this YA novel, 14-year-old Wendy Robichaud starts her freshman year in high school with a clear goal—to become the girlfriend of David Griffin, a boy she admires. She knows the “steps” she’ll have to follow before she reaches girlfriend status with him, including holding hands, public displays of affection, and hanging out with his crowd. But Wendy also learns there’s more to having a boyfriend than being on his speed dial. She encounters obstacles such as strict parental rules about dating and the hurt feelings of her friends when she abandons them to be with David. Also complicating her life are her divorced mother’s remarriage and the move to a new house with her stepdad and stepsiblings, her “instant big family.” When Wendy seeks consolation from Mrs. Villaturo, her former next-door neighbor and surrogate grandmother, she’s dismayed to find her friend acting strangely. Her discovery leads Mrs. V’s son and teenage grandson to travel from their Alaska home to Louisiana to assess the situation and make tough decisions regarding Mrs. V’s future care. Wendy is distraught at the prospect of losing her old friend. Only the compassion of Sam, Mrs. V’s deaf grandson, makes the outcome easier for her to bear. Using Wendy as her narrator, Toney (8 Notes to a Nobody, 2015, etc.) delineates some of the highs and lows of an innocent first love in this fast-paced novel. The story goes beyond its catchy title to tackle serious issues relevant to teens, such as forming healthy relationships, living in a blended family, and coping with an elderly loved one’s Alzheimer’s disease. A subplot involving a long-ago, secret, mixed-race marriage between Wendy’s relatives and those of her African-American best friend, Gayle Freeman, is somewhat contrived but contains a timely message about racial tolerance.
A sensitive YA tale about love, change, and loss, with an empowering message for girls.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-938092-64-0
Page Count: 202
Publisher: Write Integrity Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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