An empowering, timely feminist read about bodily autonomy and one young woman’s fight to keep control of hers.
Most teens feel like they’re missing something, but 17-year-old Morgan was born with a literal hole through her abdomen.
Morgan’s celebrity fitness guru mother has always shielded her smooth, egg-shaped difference from the world, but Morgan is tired of hiding. Armed with a fake ID, she heads to a local dance club, where, donning a belly shirt and empowered by her anonymity, she reveals the Hole to the world in an act that leaves her feeling free. It’s not long before Morgan is an internet sensation, her body public property. She’s scrutinized from every angle, the Hole the object of obscene jokes. Then her doctor introduces her to Howie, born with a lump of skin that’s the Hole’s perfect match. Genetic research on the two of them has led to the possibility of gene therapy that might close the Hole. Will Morgan remain true to herself, missing piece and all? Morgan narrates in a straightforward voice that is at once wry and heartfelt. The relationship between introvert Morgan and her best friend, fat-positive glamour girl Caroline, eclipses the dry love story that evolves between Morgan and sweet-natured Howie. Most characters, including freckled, Jewish Morgan, are assumed white; some people of color are mentioned in passing; and a briefly mentioned character is referred to with they/them pronouns.
An empowering, timely feminist read about bodily autonomy and one young woman’s fight to keep control of hers. (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-61695-956-2
Page Count: 360
Publisher: Soho Teen
Review Posted Online: July 29, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
A troubling depiction of an unhealthy relationship.
A battered girl and an injured rugby star spark up an ill-advised romance at an Irish secondary school.
Beautiful, waiflike, 15-year-old Shannon has lived her entire life in Ballylaggin. Alternately bullied at school and beaten by her ne’er-do-well father, she’s hopeful for a fresh start at Tommen, a private school. Seventeen-year-old Johnny, who has a hair-trigger temper and a severe groin injury, is used to Dublin’s elite-level rugby but, since his family’s move to County Cork, is now stuck captaining Tommen’s middling team. When Johnny angrily kicks a ball and knocks Shannon unconscious (“a soft female groan came from her lips”), a tentative relationship is born. As the two grow closer, Johnny’s past and Shannon’s present become serious obstacles to their budding love, threatening Shannon’s safety. Shannon’s portrayal feels infantilized (“I looked down at the tiny little female under my arm”), while Johnny comes across as borderline obsessive (“I knew I shouldn’t be touching her, but how the hell could I not?”). Uneven pacing and choppy sentences lead to a sudden climax and an unsatisfyingly abrupt ending. Repetitive descriptions, abundant and misogynistic dialogue (Johnny, to his best friend: “who’s the bitch with a vagina now?”), and graphic violence also weigh down this lengthy tome (considerably trimmed down from its original, self-published length). The cast of lively, well-developed supporting characters, especially Johnny’s best friend and Shannon’s protective older brother, is a bright spot. Major characters read white.
A troubling depiction of an unhealthy relationship. (author’s note, pronunciations, glossary, song moments, playlists) (Romance. 16-18)Pub Date: Nov. 28, 2023
ISBN: 9781728299945
Page Count: 626
Publisher: Bloom Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
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
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