A gut-punch story with an uplifting ending.
A trafficked teen readjusts to the outside world after her rescue.
At the motel, she was Poppy, but now she has to find her way back to being Alexa “Lex” Grace. Although Lex’s stable and loving aunt, Krys, and uncle, Jamal, take her in, she makes supportive friends, and even adopts an adorable puppy, the voice in her head tells her she isn’t worthy of it all, and she struggles with trust. Plus, her pimp is still out there, so she knows she’s not truly safe. Lex starts dating Mike, who uses her for sex, which is what feels normal for her. Things go too far when Mike and his friends corner Lex in a school bathroom and sexually assault her. With the support of her aunt and uncle and a couple of new friends, Lex learns to value her self-worth and speak up. This story of resilience and recovery is gritty and heavy but ultimately hopeful. Lex’s first-person narration is straightforward and authentic. Frank discussions of rape, drugs, and abuse can be hard to stomach but are not overly graphic. Lex’s story ends well, but it’s made clear that, unfortunately, she is an exception. Other girls she knows return to prostitution and drugs, with grave consequences. Lex and her aunt are white, and her uncle is black; other secondary characters are racially diverse, and one new friend is gay.
A gut-punch story with an uplifting ending. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 23, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-17380-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2020
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
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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