A powerfully moving YA novel that will hopefully enlighten as much as it entertains.
A 16-year-old artist leaves her small-town Oklahoma home and enters a new school—and a new life—in this second installment in Vincent’s YA series.
Identifying as gender nonconforming, Nic Summers gets misgendered frequently and has had to deal with schoolmates and even family members who are far from understanding. But when she leaves her home to attend a private academy in suburban Oklahoma City, her expectations are high. Not only does she hope to finally find her true self—and fully understand her as-of-yet uncertain gender identity and sexuality—she yearns to find people with whom she can identify and connect. Nic quickly finds happiness at the school—she meets a teacher who takes her passion for art to the next level and a small group of friends who share the same interests. She even meets a mysterious boy, Mack, upon whom she immediately starts crushing. But the same prejudice, hatred, and ignorance that plagued her back home find her and her friends at her new school, and Nic is forced to deal with people who are willing to go out of their way to torment her, destroy her relationships, and derail her burgeoning career in art. An impressively honest and intimate first person POV powers this story of a young person struggling with gender and trying to find their place in a world that is seemingly determined to “erase” them. Anti-trans legislation, book bans, and the blind hatred passed down by some parents (“red state training”) to their children are all referenced in this novel, which doesn’t pull any punches about the dangers growing up different, especially in small town America. “‘They really are coming after us, and it’s not just me. It’s all of you.’”
A powerfully moving YA novel that will hopefully enlighten as much as it entertains.Pub Date: July 31, 2023
ISBN: 978-1958342114
Page Count: 360
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Aug. 14, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
A sweet if muddled tale of the magic of Appalachia.
A teenage witch goes up against the evil king of the mountain to save a cursed village.
Witch-in-training Verity Vox has spent a year apiece in different villages, helping in any way she can as she learns her art. When it’s time to move on, she receives a sign that shows her where to go next. When the latest sign appears in the form of a note begging for help that floats down on a leaf, she’s eager for the challenge. Verity winds up in Foxfire, a village in the Appalachian mountains that’s been magically cut off from the rest of the world for years, leaving its people close to starvation. The root of their suffering is a man they know as Earl, who lives in the hills and strikes deals with the townspeople that ultimately cause crops to wither, folks to disappear, and the only bridge out of the valley to crumble. Verity is determined to change the villagers’ fortunes, but to do so she’ll have to face off against not just Earl but the ancient power of the mountains itself. Loosely based on the Germanic Erlking legend and told in a voice reminiscent of folktales, the story features a queer romance and a cast that presents white. The convoluted magic system undercuts the strong themes of reciprocity, poverty, and privilege, but Appalachian readers will instantly recognize home.
A sweet if muddled tale of the magic of Appalachia. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
ISBN: 9798890032706
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Page Street
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
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