An uplifting quest for Olympic victory.
A gymnast’s road to the Olympics is complicated when her demanding coach becomes embroiled in a ripped-from-the-headlines scandal.
Seventeen-year-old Audrey Lee is thrilled to make the U.S. gymnastics team alongside her best friend, Emma. Pain from a back injury is a constant threat, but Audrey isn’t about to let it derail her shot at Olympic gold in Tokyo. When her coach is arrested and accused of sexually assaulting Audrey’s teammate Dani, Audrey is surprised and dismayed that not everyone on the team believes Dani’s story. With Tokyo on the horizon, the fractured team must come together if they want to deliver a big win. Audrey has also caught the eye of handsome snowboard champion Leo Adams, but there’s no time (well, maybe a little time) for romance. Readers looking for in depth #MeToo commentary won’t find it: While still compelling, the storyline provides more of a background for the nuts and bolts of competitive gymnastics, expertly capturing the excitement and pressure of being part of a high-level sports team as well as the mental and physical sacrifices. The dynamics between the teammates, while angst-y, feel mostly realistic, and the importance of women and girls supporting one another is emphasized. Audrey is biracial (her father is white, and her mother was adopted from Korea), Leo is biracial (black/white), Dani is Mexican American, and there is additional diversity in the supporting cast.
An uplifting quest for Olympic victory. (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Feb. 18, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-11417-9
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Nov. 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, romantic visit to the iconic Disney Fairies world.
The Pixie Dust Root is in danger, and one fairy is determined to save it—and the Pixie Dust Tree that all of Pixie Hollow depends upon.
In this stand-alone story set in the same world as Allison Saft’s Wings of Starlight (2025), Periwinkle, a frost-talent who has a gift for finding things—or maybe they have a way of finding her?—discovers a lost thread of magic that grants her the ability to dream. But not all dreams are as sparkly as Periwinkle. One night, she awakens from a nightmare to find herself in the Winter Woods with a fairy she’s never met, a sparrow man named Weaver, who claims to be a rare dream-talent. Disconcertingly, Weaver knows her—he calls her “perfect Periwinkle” and for some reason doesn’t seem to like her very much. Nevertheless, Periwinkle finds herself drawn to Weaver. When he tells her he can save the Pixie Dust Root by spinning her dreams into thread if she helps him find the magic tools he needs, Periwinkle agrees. Their journey leads the pair, who are pale-skinned, to discover things they like about each other, too. This is an opposites-attract adventure with romantic tension, a high-stakes quest, personal discovery, and betrayal. The characters struggle with inner turmoil while also adjusting their understanding of each other. Bright balances the fun with explorations of themes of snap judgments, labels, and weaponizing fear.
A sweet, romantic visit to the iconic Disney Fairies world. (Fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2026
ISBN: 9780736447362
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Disney/Random House
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
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
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