An honest, empowering, and relatable story about self-advocacy and perseverance in the face of discrimination.
What should be the most rewarding day of Delia’s high school career instead leads to her expulsion from her Texas prep school.
Since middle school, 17-year-old Delia’s periods have brought her debilitating pain. This month, when her period begins two days early, it threatens to keep her home on a day when she must be present in order to stay in a prestigious premed program. Delia’s well-meaning sister gives her a homemade THC tincture that provides some relief, allowing her to go to school and meet her mentor—but when the dean discovers the substance, Delia’s kicked out. She must finish the year at public school. There, she reconnects with former best friend Ruby, who’s navigating her own medical issues with irritable bowel syndrome. Attendance policies that ignore complex illnesses could prevent both girls from graduating on time. Ruby’s activism around the subject inspires Delia to raise her own voice in a way that she’s been hesitant to before. An engaging protagonist, Delia often feels that she’s “too much” for her supportive family and friends. Her first-person narration is refreshingly candid as she chronicles her medical journey, including details of a pelvic exam by one of the many gynecologists she sees in search of a diagnosis. Delia’s determination to manage her medical condition ultimately pays off in unexpected ways. Delia and Ruby are cued white; other friends are racially diverse.
An honest, empowering, and relatable story about self-advocacy and perseverance in the face of discrimination. (author's note, resources) (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: June 17, 2025
ISBN: 9780593811511
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2025
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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