A hopeful and empowering novel of teen activism.
In Vincent’s YA novel, an agender teenager’s spring semester becomes busier than expected when a BookTok video goes viral.
Seventeen-year-old Nic Summers is ready for the fresh start that the new spring semester at their boarding school, the Oklahoma Academy of Mathematics and Science, promises to bring. Last semester, they faced bullying from the religious Rachel––the ex-best-friend of Nic’s crush, Mack––and from a resident assistant who was hostile toward Nic’s gender expression. This year, OAMS has assigned Nic their own room, with trans boy Mack right next door. Nic was also selected for mentoring sessions with a prominent artist this semester, as was their classmate, Lily. One of Nic’s friends, Jenna, suggests that they turn their unofficial book club into a TikTok series in which they review banned books. Despite Nic’s dislike of being on camera, they agree to speak in the videos; in the first, they discuss Maia Kobabe’s graphic memoir, Gender Queer (2019). Nic’s conviction to stand for what’s right is put to the test when a viral video takes off and OAMS’s Board of Trustees suddenly decrees that Nic and Mack must move to the girls’ side of the dorms. Will Nic be able to weather these new challenges, or will they return to their shy and quiet ways? In this timely novel with a diverse cast, Vincent taps into issues that will be relevant to many teens, including book banning, Florida’s infamous “Don't Say Gay” bill, increasing restrictions around gender affirming care, and other legislation that explicitly targets LGBTQ+ people. The author doesn’t shy away from how depressing the current state of American politics can be, or from the scary realities that trans teens live with in red states, as Nic does. This is the third book in a trilogy, but it ably manages to stand on its own with subtle references to past events, including previous character development. Overall, this is a powerful and educational read that will have readers rooting for Nic and inspire them to enact change.
A hopeful and empowering novel of teen activism.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: June 14, 2024
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
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression.
After surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself.
Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis, a white girl living on the margins, thinks she has little reason to live: her father drowned himself; her bereft and abusive mother kicked her out; her best friend, Ellis, is nearly brain dead after cutting too deeply; and she's gone through unspeakable experiences living on the street. After spending time in treatment with other young women like her—who cut, burn, poke, and otherwise hurt themselves—Charlie is released and takes a bus from the Twin Cities to Tucson to be closer to Mikey, a boy she "like-likes" but who had pined for Ellis instead. But things don't go as planned in the Arizona desert, because sweet Mikey just wants to be friends. Feeling rejected, Charlie, an artist, is drawn into a destructive new relationship with her sexy older co-worker, a "semifamous" local musician who's obviously a junkie alcoholic. Through intense, diarylike chapters chronicling Charlie's journey, the author captures the brutal and heartbreaking way "girls who write their pain on their bodies" scar and mar themselves, either succumbing or surviving. Like most issue books, this is not an easy read, but it's poignant and transcendent as Charlie breaks more and more before piecing herself back together.
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression. (author’s note) (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-101-93471-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
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