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
This one shoots and scores.
Tre wants to play basketball—for his brother, for his reservation, and for his future.
Ojibwe sophomore Tre Brun from Red Lake Nation Reservation in Minnesota recently lost Jaxon, his high school basketball star brother, in a car accident. All Tre wants to do these days is read graphic novels, hang out with his friends, get new girl Khiana to like him back, and play basketball. With dreams of making it in the NBA and one day becoming the subject of best friend Wes’ first documentary, Tre hopes to make varsity this school year and help his brother’s old team, the Warriors, finally make it to states. Basketball is taken seriously on the reservation, and Tre must learn to have faith in himself despite his father’s lack of belief in him while also navigating racism, the resentment of those who think he falls short of his brother’s legacy, and the pitfalls of partying and trying too hard to fit in. Debut author Graves (Ojibwe) presents a deeply personal look at grief, the weight of expectations, and the ways we find connections with those we have lost. While the start feels a bit forced, the novel quickly settles into its coming-of-age sports-underdog story, giving readers tense, fast-paced descriptions of high-stakes basketball games interspersed with textured descriptions of life on the reservation.
This one shoots and scores. (glossary, note from Cynthia Leitich Smith) (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2023
ISBN: 9780063160378
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Heartdrum
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2023
PERSPECTIVES
Affirming, uplifting, and thoughtful.
A college-bound teen with cerebral palsy learns to advocate for herself.
Even though her friends are buzzing about senior year and their college plans, Greek American Euphemia Galanos can’t muster the same enthusiasm. For Effie, an aspiring journalist, choosing a college is fraught with additional variables: Are the dorms wheelchair accessible? How easily can she navigate campus? Such concerns threaten to derail her dream of attending New York’s prestigious Prospect University, home to an excellent journalism program…and the choice of her crush, Wilder. As if Effie doesn’t have enough on her plate, she faces discrimination from Mill City High’s administration—and this time, her mother insists she manage things herself. But Effie isn’t used to speaking up, and her efforts go awry. How can she show her mom she can handle moving from Minnesota to New York if she can’t be assertive? And will she ever get the chance to tell Wilder how she feels? Forrest, also a wheelchair user with CP, explores the role of media representation in developing self-confidence and refreshingly highlights the importance of disabled peers. Readers will appreciate Effie’s conflicted, insightful introspection and appraisals of her options; those who struggle to speak up will empathize as she finds her voice. Supportive friends and family and a sweet romance add warmth. Wilder reads White; there’s some racial diversity among the supporting cast members.
Affirming, uplifting, and thoughtful. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781338813838
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2023
PERSPECTIVES
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