Thoughtful and thought-provoking.
In Schneider’s debut, a teen begins to ask big questions about faith and her future at a Christian summer camp.
Meg’s return to Adirondacks Bible Camp in upstate New York comes with much excitement about reuniting with longtime friends Kayla and Nicole and seeing her crush, red-haired, blue-eyed Danny. But camp also comes with increasing frustration about the rigid rules and strict purity culture expectations set by both her parents and the camp leadership. Her work waiting tables is hard in many ways despite the perk of a room that’s nicer than the campers’ cabins. Though her job often places her in close proximity to Danny, she knows that she isn’t supposed to be thinking about romance. Still, she can’t seem to help it. As Kayla and Nicole follow their own paths, Meg, who has black hair and light, rosy skin, struggles with self-doubt and searches for answers to the complex questions she’s beginning to have about her faith and future. She finds refuge in her love for drawing and texting with Britnee, her friend from home who moved away. Meg’s experiences with religion, family, and self-definition are sympathetically told and well supported by the gentle illustrations and soothing color palette. Engaging flashbacks rendered in monochromatic blue panels add context and depth. This leisurely story creates plenty of space for readers who may be on journeys like Meg’s to ponder and reflect, without offering oversimplified answers. The supporting cast is racially diverse.
Thoughtful and thought-provoking. (Graphic fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: April 21, 2026
ISBN: 9780593809617
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Random House Graphic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 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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