A thoughtful and entertaining coming-of-age tale with a vibrant setting.
When three teenagers get lost in the desert, dangerous conditions, animals, and people test their mettle in this debut YA novel.
It’s 1968, and for 13-year-old tanned friends Max, Eddie, and Daniel, one of their few pastimes in the high desert is staging scorpion battles in a mock arena. Daniel’s canyon-bred gladiators are the toughest, so the friends arrange a camping trip to find some more, emboldened by his knowledge of desert survival. After catching several scorpions, the friends decide to explore one of the nearby mines. Maybe they’ll even find the legendary Lost Randolph Mine or run across a missing test pilot. Although the boys take careful precautions, they get badly lost. The three emerge into unknown territory where they must fight for survival, and not just against the elements. More than once, the boys must escape from unsavory or criminal desert dwellers, though they also find some unusual allies. The experience brings the friends many new understandings of themselves, the world they live in, and their families. Murnane writes an exciting adventure story with risky scenarios that give his characters many chances to show their courage and considerable resourcefulness in matters like orienteering, handling a rattlesnake, and finding water. The dramatic, eerie desert setting is a greatly effective backdrop that’s described with vivid authenticity. More than that, the novel also explores thorny issues like the Vietnam War, assassinations, and racism. In one episode, for example, the boys investigate a deserted Manzanar—a kind of shameful ghost town. Also thorny, and central to the book, are fraught father-and-son relationships and cultural expectations around masculinity, leading to emotional rapprochements. The ending indulges in some wish-fulfillment rewards, but it’s a feel-good conclusion that readers will enjoy.
A thoughtful and entertaining coming-of-age tale with a vibrant setting.Pub Date: Nov. 24, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-70822-355-7
Page Count: 267
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: March 18, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Summery fun and games with feeling.
A summer trip helps break 18-year-old Meredith Fox out of a haze of mourning.
Her cousin’s wedding means a return to Martha’s Vineyard, a well-loved destination but one filled with bittersweet memories. It’s been a year and a half since the sudden loss of Meredith’s sister, Claire, and the grief remains strong. Meredith, though, resolves to take this time to celebrate family and bridge the rifts resulting from ghosting friends. She didn’t plan on a meet-cute/embarrassing encounter with the groom’s stepbrother, Wit. Nor did she expect a wedding-week game of Assassin, a water-gun–fueled family tradition. What starts off as a pact of sharing strategic information with Wit grows into something more as the flirting and feelings develop. Only one person can win, though, and any alliance has an expiration date. To win and honor Claire, who was a master of the game, Meredith must keep her eye on the prize. Taking place over the course of a week, the narrative is tight with well-paced reveals that disrupt predictability and keep the plot moving. Early details are picked back up, and many elements come satisfyingly full circle. The short time frame also heightens the tension of this summer romance: What will happen when they leave the bubble of the Vineyard? The mix of budding romance, competitive hijinks, a close-knit circle, as well as dealing with loss make for a satisfying read. The main cast is White.
Summery fun and games with feeling. (family tree) (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-72821-029-2
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
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