A reluctant reader–friendly story with heart, realistic tensions, and meaningful messages to ponder.
A teenage boy’s love of sneakers leads him to face a moral dilemma.
Sixteen-year-old Jesse is a Black sneakerhead who has lived with his grandfather ever since his parents were killed in a tragic auto accident, turning his life upside down. Apart from Grandpa, one constant in Jesse’s life has been his love for sneakers, something that connects him to his late father, who even wanted to name him Jordan after his favorite shoes. Finances are a constant struggle for Grandpa and Jesse, which isn’t the case for Tay, Jesse’s best friend, whose well-off family is able to buy him new sneakers every month. One day Jesse gets a tempting proposal from Derick, a slightly older guy who’s an acquaintance of Tay’s. Derick explains his plan for stealing cash from local store owner Mr. Yang, using Jesse as his accomplice. Will the temptation prove too much for Jesse to resist—or will he follow his conscience? In Jesse, readers meet a protagonist whose desires and internal conflicts feel authentic. Thompson highlights the ways the cards we’re dealt in life influence the choices we make. She also explores themes of loss, grief, peer pressure, morality, and the effects of socioeconomic status while maintaining an accessible and appealing writing style.
A reluctant reader–friendly story with heart, realistic tensions, and meaningful messages to ponder. (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Feb. 11, 2025
ISBN: 9781459841017
Page Count: 88
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
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 sweet if muddled tale of the magic of Appalachia.
A teenage witch goes up against the evil king of the mountain to save a cursed village.
Witch-in-training Verity Vox has spent a year apiece in different villages, helping in any way she can as she learns her art. When it’s time to move on, she receives a sign that shows her where to go next. When the latest sign appears in the form of a note begging for help that floats down on a leaf, she’s eager for the challenge. Verity winds up in Foxfire, a village in the Appalachian mountains that’s been magically cut off from the rest of the world for years, leaving its people close to starvation. The root of their suffering is a man they know as Earl, who lives in the hills and strikes deals with the townspeople that ultimately cause crops to wither, folks to disappear, and the only bridge out of the valley to crumble. Verity is determined to change the villagers’ fortunes, but to do so she’ll have to face off against not just Earl but the ancient power of the mountains itself. Loosely based on the Germanic Erlking legend and told in a voice reminiscent of folktales, the story features a queer romance and a cast that presents white. The convoluted magic system undercuts the strong themes of reciprocity, poverty, and privilege, but Appalachian readers will instantly recognize home.
A sweet if muddled tale of the magic of Appalachia. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
ISBN: 9798890032706
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Page Street
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
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