Does Tessa ride an aging, longshot Buffoon to victory in the Grand National? Of course—even a thoroughly modern...
A heroine who takes pride in her ability to get thrown out of schools updates an old-fashioned girl-and-her-horse story.
Veteran author Peyton (Snowfall, 1998, etc.) presents Tessa, whose life is forever changed when her mother walks out on her drunken horse-breeder father, wrenching Tessa from the love of her small life, a blind broodmare. Eight years and several schools later, a thoroughly rebellious Tessa finds herself engaged by her vicious stepfather to work at a local racing stable, where she takes on as a charge Buffoon, the ugly colt of her beloved mare. Only Tessa has faith in Buffoon, a faith that is repaid when Buffoon becomes a contender in the Grand National—against her stepfather's own horse, prompting a nasty bit of sabotage. And this is only the first half of the book. A leisurely pace accommodates the twists and turns the novel takes, including Tessa's (unsuccessful) stabbing of her stepfather, a stint in a juvenile reformatory, the loss and rediscovery of Buffoon, and not one, but two, miraculous operations, one on the jockey Tessa comes to love and one to restore a blinded Buffoon's sight. Compelling storytelling, fascinating details of the English racing scene, a heroine with real psychological depth, and a well-rounded cast of secondary characters (with the exception of the wholly odious stepfather) carry the plot without missing a step over its contrivances to a satisfying steeplechase finish.
Does Tessa ride an aging, longshot Buffoon to victory in the Grand National? Of course—even a thoroughly modern girl-and-her-horse story needs to follow the rules. Does this matter? To a lover of good girl-and-her-horse stories, of course not. (Fiction. 12+)Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-525-46652-5
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001
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 astonishing book will generate much-needed discussion.
After 15-year-old Will sees his older brother, Shawn, gunned down on the streets, he sets out to do the expected: the rules dictate no crying, no snitching, and revenge.
Though the African-American teen has never held one, Will leaves his apartment with his brother’s gun tucked in his waistband. As he travels down on the elevator, the door opens on certain floors, and Will is confronted with a different figure from his past, each a victim of gun violence, each important in his life. They also force Will to face the questions he has about his plan. As each “ghost” speaks, Will realizes how much of his own story has been unknown to him and how intricately woven they are. Told in free-verse poems, this is a raw, powerful, and emotional depiction of urban violence. The structure of the novel heightens the tension, as each stop of the elevator brings a new challenge until the narrative arrives at its taut, ambiguous ending. There is considerable symbolism, including the 15 bullets in the gun and the way the elevator rules parallel street rules. Reynolds masterfully weaves in textured glimpses of the supporting characters. Throughout, readers get a vivid picture of Will and the people in his life, all trying to cope with the circumstances of their environment while expressing the love, uncertainty, and hope that all humans share.
This astonishing book will generate much-needed discussion. (Verse fiction. 12-adult)Pub Date: Oct. 17, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-3825-4
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
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