The demand for stories about the world of Alexander Hamilton shows no sign of letting up, and this entry ably feeds the need.
The story of Alexander Hamilton’s romance with Eliza Schuyler as seen through the eyes of her younger sister Peggy.
Set during the American Revolution, the tale offers the adventure of war, the family dynamic of sisterhood, and the drama of young love. Peggy Schuyler is a spirited young woman who feels overlooked in her large family as her two older sisters attract attention and suitors. This feeling only grows when George Washington’s aide-de-camp, Alexander Hamilton, seeks her help in his efforts to woo her sister, Eliza. Their home is at the center of information about wartime conflicts in upstate New York and Canada, facilitating many cameos as well as glimpses at exchanges with the Oneida nation. In her relationships with her sisters, Peggy is supportive of the steadfast Eliza and occasionally exasperated by the more worldly Angelica. She carries out an amazing act of courage when British Loyalists storm their home looking for her father. While Elliott was inspired by Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical Hamilton, her story is based on independent research, and her afterword is as readable as the novel itself. Like many historical novels for teens, the language is quite modern, and the narrative has a fast pace.
The demand for stories about the world of Alexander Hamilton shows no sign of letting up, and this entry ably feeds the need. (Historical fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Feb. 13, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267130-1
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A beautiful love story about finding one’s way back to one’s self.
A summer of lessons on love of all kinds, particularly self-love.
It’s the summer before senior year for Harlem resident Nala Robertson, a 17-year-old Black girl of Jamaican descent. Nala’s list of things she wants to accomplish over the summer includes hanging out with her best friends, Imani and Sadie, and falling in love. Nala soon discovers that life does not always go according to plan. While some surprises may turn out better than she imagined—like the entrance of her new crush, Tye—some of life’s twists have her questioning her dreams and herself, forcing her to face new and uncomfortable realities. Nala’s world is made up of family and friends who are mainly strong, inspirational Black girls and women of varying sizes, complexions, and complexities. Nala’s journey of self-love and acceptance comes with emotional bumps and bruises, and Watson’s well-paced writing puts readers in Nala’s shoes with a delivery that consistently feels like a warm hug, supported by a throughline of love. Touching on social issues like racism, environmentalism, and body positivity, this story will resonate with readers who have questioned who they are, tried to change themselves to fit in, or are seeking their own voices.
A beautiful love story about finding one’s way back to one’s self. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0060-1
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Nov. 25, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020
PERSPECTIVES
Though constrained, the work nevertheless stands apart in a literature that too often finds it hard to look hard truths in...
In this roller-coaster ride of a debut, the author summons the popular legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. to respond to the recent tragic violence befalling unarmed black men and boys.
Seventeen-year-old black high school senior Justyce McAllister, a full-scholarship student at the virtually all-white Braselton Prep, is the focus. After a bloody run-in with the police when they take his good deed for malice, Justyce seeks meaning in a series of letters with his “homie” Dr. King. He writes, “I thought if I made sure to be an upstanding member of society, I’d be exempt from the stuff THOSE black guys deal with, you know?” While he’s ranked fourth in his graduating class and well-positioned for the Ivy League, Justyce is coming to terms with the fact that there’s not as much that separates him from “THOSE black guys” as he’d like to believe. Despite this, Stone seems to position Justyce and his best friend as the decidedly well-mannered black children who are deserving of readers’ sympathies. They are not those gangsters that can be found in Justyce’s neighborhood. There’s nuance to be found for sure, but not enough to upset the dominant narrative. What if they weren’t the successful kids? While the novel intentionally leaves more questions than it attempts to answer, there are layers that still remain between the lines.
Though constrained, the work nevertheless stands apart in a literature that too often finds it hard to look hard truths in the face. Take interest and ask questions. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 17, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-101-93949-9
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 6, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
