Quirky and upbeat; a satisfying tale of inner courage and friendship.
In this middle-grade sequel, a pathologically shy New York City boy and an aspiring young race car driver try to help each other overcome their fears.
Twelve-year-old Sebastian Kemp is a whiz at math. But he’s less adept with people, and though signed up for the New York State Regional Teen Math Olympics, he cannot summon the courage to get one foot in the door. Sebastian’s social anxiety also prevents him from making friends. (In fact, his only pal turns out to be an artificial intelligence construct of Sebastian’s own devising.) He would like to join in, but he overthinks things and shies away from spontaneity. Then Sebastian sees Naomi, his sister’s 16-year-old best friend, for the first time since “her father’s memorial service.” Naomi, an experienced go-kart driver, is fearsome and confident. She is applying to an elite race car driving school overseas and needs to win one more competition to qualify. Naomi thinks Sebastian’s shyness is an excuse, not an affliction. She urges him to just go for it and not look back. But Naomi has her own problems. Apart from dyslexia, which she takes in stride, she has a chronic fear of flying that saps her ferocious competitiveness. Can Sebastian and Naomi take strength from each other’s bravery and determination? Day writes in the first person, present tense, from Sebastian’s point of view. The narrative is convincing and unaffected, and Sebastian’s inner thoughts come across as age-appropriate. The dialogue for the most part is naturalistic. Sebastian is a sympathetic and well-drawn character, and his struggles will resonate with readers who have ever felt disconnected or unsure of themselves. The other players are similarly memorable—Naomi, with her unfiltered exuberance; Sebastian’s dad, Arthur, who’s still coping with an existential crisis brought on by the death of his best friend; and even minor characters like Harold, Arthur’s colleague, who suffers from intense social anxiety and uses text-to-speech technology to express his thoughts. In the people around him, Sebastian comes to see that he isn’t alone in having issues to deal with. The story moves quickly, and though the transition between scenes can be abrupt, this too is somehow redolent of Sebastian’s awkwardness in communicating. All told, young readers will approve.
Quirky and upbeat; a satisfying tale of inner courage and friendship.Pub Date: April 18, 2022
ISBN: 979-8985434910
Page Count: 116
Publisher: Artists Gate Press
Review Posted Online: June 20, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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