Quick and entertaining, this comic romp fulfills its promising setup. (Fiction. 14-18)
A boy from a con-artist family cheats his way into an exclusive private school only to find a rival grifter at work there.
Will isn’t trying to take anyone’s money this time. He only wants to get away from his drunk dad to get a good start in life among the billionaire class at the uber-elite Connaughton Academy. However, he soon meets Andrea, who instantly sees through the sob story that earned him a scholarship because she has a similar one herself. She’s also a small-time con artist, and she bets Will that she can bilk $50,000 from Brandt, the school’s resident billionaire jerk, before he does. Whoever gets the money first stays at the school, and the other leaves. Complications emerge in the form of Will’s dad, who wants to get in on the con, and Gatsby (really), a student library aide who might spell both trouble and romance. Schreiber keeps the narrative moving along briskly as he gets Will into and out of trouble, and he doesn’t let him off the hook without an examination of ethics. Will comes across as a crafty but essentially good kid with whom readers can identify. While a few too many con artists appear to be congregating in one spot for credibility, and Brandt approaches the cartoonish, nevertheless the twists and turns keep the fun skipping along.
Quick and entertaining, this comic romp fulfills its promising setup. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-544-32020-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
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BOOK REVIEW
Dynamically reckons with the real-life ramifications of someone who refuses to grow up.
A grim, modern-day manifestation of the Peter Pan tale drawn from subtle, dark elements in the original text.
Wendy Darling is a sweet, naïve 17-year-old who just moved to Chicago. One night, Peter Pan comes through her open window, expecting an empty house and instead becoming enamored with the girl inside. Wendy herself is immediately enchanted by Peter, whose boyish charm and good looks convince her to join him for a night on the town along with his spunky and snappy ex-girlfriend Tinkerbelle. During the course of a single night, Wendy runs into more of Peter’s connections, including a collection of orphans he houses off the grid, a Detective Hook eager to bring him down, and other counterparts from the source material (including the racist caricature of a Native girl, gracefully realized here as a three-dimensional young Ojibwe woman). But as the night goes on and Peter’s facade grows more transparent, the frightful truth at his center threatens the safety of everyone involved. Eschewing literal magic, Ancrum’s remix is spellbinding and psychologically compelling despite a slower-moving middle. The haunting truth surrounding Peter is well earned and disturbing, a perfect—and bleak—transformation of the character for the 21st century. Wendy is Black, Peter and Tink are White, and the supporting cast represents myriad racial and queer identities.
Dynamically reckons with the real-life ramifications of someone who refuses to grow up. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: June 22, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-26526-5
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Imprint
Review Posted Online: April 29, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2021
A killer read.
A manipulative teen sets his sights on destruction.
When Crystal Giordano, who’s Puerto Rican and Italian American, recognizes new student Aaron Fortin as the Speaker—the masked streamer her friends obsessively follow—she blurts out that fact at their lunch table, not realizing the havoc that will follow her revelation. Aaron insinuates himself into the friend group, easily winning over “Extremely Online” Harmony and standoffish Paul (all three teens are white). Meanwhile, closeted Trevor (who’s Black and Muslim), goth Gayle (who’s white), and Crystal herself are harder nuts to crack. Crystal begins to suspect that Aaron has a dark side, but when he releases her private video diary to the entire school, the exposed secrets drive a possibly insurmountable wedge between her and her friends. But when she realizes Aaron has something huge planned for prom night, she knows it’s up to her to save the day. A clean-cut teenage amalgam of Charles Manson and Slenderman, Aaron employs a variety of techniques to control his online followers and real-life peers. The point of view alternates between Aaron and Crystal, putting readers right in the middle of the deadly cat-and-mouse game. Cesare keeps the tension ramping up, while the stakes rise higher and the murders keep coming. Horror fans will have a tough time putting this down once they start reading.
A killer read. (content warning, resources) (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781454954248
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Union Square & Co.
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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