A strong message of hope in the face of adversity is overshadowed by stilted prose and a contrived plot.
When life becomes unbearable, four teens turn to one another for support in this emotional drama.
Unloved by her wealthy parents, depressed teen Chloe Campbell decides to take her own life. The suicide attempt is unsuccessful but does result in placement at the branch of Sacred Heart group homes reserved for teens dealing with trauma. There, she connects deeply with the other three residents who are similarly unwanted, uncared for, and misunderstood, and they quickly dub themselves the Wildflowers as a nod to their persistence and capacity for growth. The adolescents encourage each other to work through their pain and overcome struggles with frequent inspirational lectures. A will-they-won’t-they romance blossoms against all odds but is tested when the Wildflowers experience a devastating loss. The resulting turmoil brings new opportunities for trauma into the mix, and the teens face their most difficult season yet. Shining a light on mental health issues and structural abuse is important, but readers are left to puzzle over unanswered questions. The dialogue is wooden and peppered with curse words in a futile attempt to make the characters sound more authentically like teenagers. The Wildflowers are assumed white; one of them is gay and was rejected by his homophobic parents.
A strong message of hope in the face of adversity is overshadowed by stilted prose and a contrived plot. (letter to the reader) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 11, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-63392-111-5
Page Count: 391
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Review Posted Online: Nov. 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
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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