Can love exist in a digital age? It’s 2060, and American teens are educated at home via DS—digital school. Few venture outside their comfortable virtual worlds, but 17-year-old Maddie leads a life even more confined than most. She’s been grounded for years—punishment for serious digital misbehavior—and despite a sympathetic mom, her dad, architect of the DS system, won’t let Maddie off the hook yet. Then, at a face-to-face tutoring session, she meets her digital-study–buddy Justin, who introduces her to a new world, the three-dimensional one. Thoroughly smitten, Maddie allows Justin and his cohorts to draw her into their conspiracy to end DS for good. The futuristic and political trappings make little sense (DS was instituted to end violence in American schools, including mass killings of elementary schoolchildren by terrorists aiming to curb overpopulation). However, as the title hints, this debut’s true subject is romantic awakening. Before readers can succumb to disbelief, the narrative shifts to Maddie’s dawning attraction to Justin and the natural world he represents, following her sensual voyage of discovery and exploration of first love’s frustrations and joys. Among the pleasures of this high-tech fairy tale are Maddie’s initiative, courage and independent spirit, stoutly risking rejection in pursuit of her heart’s desire. (Science fiction/romance. 12 & up)
Pub Date: May 23, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-37148-1
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2011
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
Exactly what the title promises.
A grieving teen’s devotion to romance films might ruin her chances at actual romance.
Liz Buxbaum has always adored rom-coms, not least for helping her still feel close to her screenwriter mother, who died when she was little. Liz hopes that her senior year might turn into a real-life romantic fantasy, as an old crush has moved back to town, cuter and nicer than ever. Surely she can get Michael to ask her to prom. If only Wes, the annoying boy next door, would help her with her scheming! This charming, fluffy concoction manages to pack into one goofy plot every conceivable trope, from fake dating to the makeover to the big misunderstanding. Creative, quirky, daydreaming Liz is just shy of an annoying stereotype, saved by a dry wit and unresolved grief and anger. Wes makes for a delightful bad boy with a good heart, and supporting characters—including a sassy best friend, a perfect popular rival, even a (not really) evil stepmother—all get the opportunity to transcend their roles. The only villain here is Liz’s lovelorn imagination, provoking her into foolish lies that cause actual hurt feelings; but she is sufficiently self-aware to make amends just in time for the most important trope of all: a blissfully happy ending. All characters seem to be White by default.
Exactly what the title promises. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6762-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK TO SCREEN
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