A familiar story that glimmers with potential.
A teen with lofty dreams is inspired by poetry and the community that helps him find his voice.
Although high school senior Mason Zy’Aire Tyndall has serious aspirations of being a rap star, determined “to fight to keep from becoming another hashtag,” he must juggle this ambition and determination with making sure he graduates on time. Down to the wire and needing an elective to fulfill his requirements, Mason ends up with a teacher he’s initially skeptical of: “A Caucasian teacher teaching a Black poetry class / Just don’t feel right.” But the space creates an additional pathway of creativity for him that becomes important to explore after a Black man is murdered by a police officer only a few miles away. This tragedy sparks community protest, and Mason, who later has his own encounter with the police, experiments with expressing the power of his voice. Despite feeling somewhat forced at times, Carter’s debut teems with vulnerability and shows a deep reverence for hip-hop, a genre that’s grounded in protest. The theme (and spirit) of activism is palpable, and the book includes a section of poems titled after popular hashtags that memorialize primarily Black men and boys killed by the police. At times the language and references seem dated, reflecting a missed opportunity to speak to young readers through their own colloquialisms and generation of rappers. The diverse supporting characters provide healthy tension for the story.
A familiar story that glimmers with potential. (Verse fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: May 28, 2024
ISBN: 9781771683609
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Central Avenue Publishing
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
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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