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BRAVE ENOUGH

The debut author, a cancer survivor and amputee, covers challenging physical and emotional terrain in compelling detail with...

Cancer happened while prima ballerina Cason was busy making other plans; cancer survivor and recovering addict Davis hangs onto his hard-won sobriety and their deepening friendship.

Cason’s mother, director of an Atlanta ballet company, taught her driven, perfectionist daughter to power through pain, a strategy that works until she’s diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, an aggressive bone cancer. On the cusp of professional success and attending school only part-time, Cason’s never dated. She’s smitten with Davis, who is volunteering in the hospital oncology ward where Cason gets chemotherapy and who helps her endure the indignities of treatment. As their mutual attraction grows, each bolsters the other’s self-esteem, but setbacks loom. Davis’ relentless craving worsens after he’s badly beaten for refusing to pay his ex-girlfriend’s drug debt. When Cason’s left leg proves unsalvageable, she lashes out at Davis, already reeling from bad news. Like most of the teen cancer survivors depicted here, Cason and Davis are white, affluent, and blessed with first-rate medical care, but a top-notch support system can do only so much. While their peers stretch their wings and aim for the future, these teens learn earlier than most that today is all we have—and that there can be a bracing power to this discovery.

The debut author, a cancer survivor and amputee, covers challenging physical and emotional terrain in compelling detail with compassionate insight and strong storytelling skills. (author's note, resources) (Fiction. 12-16)

Pub Date: Aug. 21, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-63583-020-0

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Flux

Review Posted Online: April 29, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2018

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THE FIELD GUIDE TO THE NORTH AMERICAN TEENAGER

Despite some missteps, this will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh and realistic teen voice.

A teenage, not-so-lonely loner endures the wilds of high school in Austin, Texas.

Norris Kaplan, the protagonist of Philippe’s debut novel, is a hypersweaty, uber-snarky black, Haitian, French-Canadian pushing to survive life in his new school. His professor mom’s new tenure-track job transplants Norris mid–school year, and his biting wit and sarcasm are exposed through his cataloging of his new world in a field guide–style burn book. He’s greeted in his new life by an assortment of acquaintances, Liam, who is white and struggling with depression; Maddie, a self-sacrificing white cheerleader with a heart of gold; and Aarti, his Indian-American love interest who offers connection. Norris’ ego, fueled by his insecurities, often gets in the way of meaningful character development. The scenes showcasing his emotional growth are too brief and, despite foreshadowing, the climax falls flat because he still gets incredible personal access to people he’s hurt. A scene where Norris is confronted by his mother for getting drunk and belligerent with a white cop is diluted by his refusal or inability to grasp the severity of the situation and the resultant minor consequences. The humor is spot-on, as is the representation of the black diaspora; the opportunity for broader conversations about other topics is there, however, the uneven buildup of detailed, meaningful exchanges and the glibness of Norris’ voice detract.

Despite some missteps, this will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh and realistic teen voice. (Fiction. 13-16)

Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2019

ISBN: 978-0-06-282411-0

Page Count: 384

Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2018

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NEVER FALL DOWN

Though it lacks references or suggestions for further reading, Arn's agonizing story is compelling enough that many readers...

A harrowing tale of survival in the Killing Fields.

The childhood of Arn Chorn-Pond has been captured for young readers before, in Michelle Lord and Shino Arihara's picture book, A Song for Cambodia (2008). McCormick, known for issue-oriented realism, offers a fictionalized retelling of Chorn-Pond's youth for older readers. McCormick's version begins when the Khmer Rouge marches into 11-year-old Arn's Cambodian neighborhood and forces everyone into the country. Arn doesn't understand what the Khmer Rouge stands for; he only knows that over the next several years he and the other children shrink away on a handful of rice a day, while the corpses of adults pile ever higher in the mango grove. Arn does what he must to survive—and, wherever possible, to protect a small pocket of children and adults around him. Arn's chilling history pulls no punches, trusting its readers to cope with the reality of children forced to participate in murder, torture, sexual exploitation and genocide. This gut-wrenching tale is marred only by the author's choice to use broken English for both dialogue and description. Chorn-Pond, in real life, has spoken eloquently (and fluently) on the influence he's gained by learning English; this prose diminishes both his struggle and his story.

Though it lacks references or suggestions for further reading, Arn's agonizing story is compelling enough that many readers will seek out the history themselves. (preface, author's note) (Historical fiction. 12-15)

Pub Date: May 8, 2012

ISBN: 978-0-06-173093-1

Page Count: 224

Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: March 20, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012

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