An intense spin on true-crime podcast stories that reels readers in.
A tragic tale of a family shattered and a teenage son who’s trying to put the pieces back together.
Sixteen-year-old Alex has been slowly poisoned by his mother for the past decade—but at last she’s set to go to trial. But things are so much more complicated than the “Monster Mommy” headlines indicate. Their town is divided: Did Alex do it to himself? Was it all in his head? Even Alex, who struggles with his mental health, wonders whether some of his memories are symptoms of his psychosis. As the trial—and his testimony on the stand—approaches, Alex joins former best friend Bryce and classmates Naomi and Ella (who accused Alex on TikTok of attention-seeking self-inflicted harm) to create a podcast to bring the truth to light. Alex is protective of and parental toward his gifted little brother, Logan, who’s on the periphery of everything; shunted to the side, Logan escaped his mother’s twisted obsession. Although the prose frequently leans into telling rather than showing, debut author Cantor writes sensitively about serious topics like factitious disorder imposed on another (formerly known as Munchausen by proxy), mental illness, familial rupture, and friendship conflicts. The third-person narrative takes readers into Alex’s mind as he questions everyone and everything, including his own uncertain memories of growing up. Most central characters read white, and Naomi is cued Black.
An intense spin on true-crime podcast stories that reels readers in. (Thriller. 13-18)Pub Date: July 21, 2026
ISBN: 9780823461165
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
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
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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