Flowers delivers an imperfect but touching contemporary novel that is sardonically relevant in its treatment of...
Fleeing drug traffickers in Mexico, Juan Pablo and his best friend, Rocio, are on the run and hope to seek refuge in the U.S.
In present-day El Rosario, one of Mexico’s butterfly sanctuaries, Juan Pablo and his abuela Elena and their neighbors Rocio and her abuelo Mario find themselves surrounded by narcotraffickers in a mostly abandoned village. In an attempt to save them all from the cartel, Juan Pablo uses his grandmother’s herbs to poison the group of men—though unfortunately, within hours, the two friends lose their debilitated grandparents. Now on the run from the Hunter, the cartel’s infamous human bloodhound, the two traverse the Mexican desert, hitch rides, acquire help from benevolent strangers, and travel by water to reach safety. In a sobering episode, Juan Pablo, a bilingual reader and musician, finds himself alone in a children’s immigration detention center, where he is recruited to translate conversations. Far from a light read, the novel delves into a variety of hardships: violence and murder, hints of rape and abuse, and animals in danger (a dog is shot; a whale is trapped in netting). Drugs and narcotraffickers have affected almost everyone. Although the content is powerful, its expression is sometimes clumsy. Readers may have trouble getting past the periodic misuse of Spanish, choppy writing, and clunky transitions.
Flowers delivers an imperfect but touching contemporary novel that is sardonically relevant in its treatment of drug-trafficking, immigration, and human rights issues. (Fiction. 12-16)Pub Date: May 18, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5072-0214-2
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Merit Press
Review Posted Online: March 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2017
This sequel to Meridian (2009) opens three weeks after 16-year-old Meridian, a part-human/part-angel Fenestra, or “window”...
Adolescence is hard enough without having to save the world from death and destruction.
This sequel to Meridian (2009) opens three weeks after 16-year-old Meridian, a part-human/part-angel Fenestra, or “window” that helps dying souls pass on, and her protector/boyfriend Tens saved a Colorado town from Nocti (evil spirits in human form that try to send souls to hell). They’re traveling the country, looking for fellow Fenestras, when Meridian feels drawn to Carmel, Ind. Fifteen-year-old Juliet, an unknowing Fenestra, has been living in this sleepy town at a center that doubles as an group home for the elderly and a foster-care home. The teens’ alternating viewpoints tell this hefty story, which, like many second novels in a series, builds on the first but ultimately leads up to a third. Meridian provides back story, uses her great-aunt’s journal to discover more about Fenestras and schemes to find Juliet and save her before she’s forced by Nocti to become one of their own. All the while she ponders her free will, her developing body and why Tens keeps putting off their first time having sex. Meanwhile, Juliet gives (over and over again) a look at her abusive situation—she’s constantly punished and must care nonstop for the residents—and her burgeoning Fenestra talents.Pub Date: July 12, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-385-73971-9
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: June 20, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2011
Just when you think every possible teen affliction has been covered in young adult literature, along comes Howse’s debut novel about the perils of acne. Severe acne can be painful and embarrassing to any teen, but the situation is especially calamitous for 13-year-old TV-commercial actress Olivia Hughes. She’s finally started her period, and her face begins to erupt at the worst possible time. She's just sealed the deal on a national advertising campaign to be the next Wacky Water Girl, and J.W., the hottest eighth-grader, has finally noticed her. Her dermatologist suggests reducing stress, but that's not likely. Her agent is pushy, her workaholic dad has relocated after her parents’ divorce, her regretful mother tries to relive missed opportunities through Olivia’s acting and Olivia has regular tiffs with her once-best friends. At first blaming the acne on a spider bite and then allergic reactions, Olivia must not only learn to admit that she has acne but that her career could be over forever. J.W.’s freshman cousin, Theo, who has rheumatoid arthritis, helps her find perspective and self-acceptance. While descriptions of Olivia’s various treatment methods lean toward didactic rather than enlightening, her melodramatic first-person narration sums up the transition from preteen to teen and the onset of puberty. Light reading before moving on to the snark and thongs of Louise Rennison’s Georgia Nicholson books. (author’s note) (Fiction. 12-14)
Pub Date: April 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7614-5830-2
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2011
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