Conveys harshness, beauty—and lingering hope.
Sónia Dias faces many challenges under António de Oliveira Salazar’s dictatorial rule in mid-1960s Portugal.
Though Pai prayed he’d have sons, Sónia is one of five sisters. She’s smart and has the heart of a poet but is lackadaisical about school. She covers shifts at her family’s fado restaurant and sneaks time with 16-year-old José Miguel Machado, a newly promoted journeyman printer. Zé Miguel is a Communist and artist, and he helps create contraband books to “make a better world.” After he’s arrested and the family restaurant is shut down for hiring a banned fado musician to perform, Sónia wonders who to blame for informing the secret police. The Dias family squeezes into smaller quarters, and Sónia’s pai sends her to work at a hotel laundry alongside her mother. Sónia’s no stranger to beatings, which she both metes out and receives at home, but she’s unprepared for the exhausting work and dangerous conditions. Fellow worker Zuleika, who’s 16, like Sónia, warns her about the owner’s flirtatious son, but Sónia ignores her. The verse format allows Sónia’s poetic voice to shine, drawing readers into the stark reality she’s dealing with. Although her head can be clouded by wine and soft kisses, she knows her own mind and speaks up: “I am a daughter of Eve / who / thinks / questions / dreams.”
Conveys harshness, beauty—and lingering hope. (author’s note, discussion questions, glossary, further reading) (Verse historical fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9798765610114
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Carolrhoda Lab
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
An irresistible story of family connection, resilience, and loyalty.
In award winner Acevedo’s latest, a high schooler faces another interaction with the juvenile justice system, but a family crisis is foremost on her mind.
Impulsive 17-year-old Liliana Pantaleon-Ortiz has repeatedly gotten into trouble. Now, despite her lawyer’s best efforts, Lil is released to her parents with an ankle monitor. She has a loving, supportive family that’s “Indigenous-Salvadoran and Afro-Dominican,” and she’s especially close to her older brother, Aldwin, who attends Virginia Commonwealth University, a few hours away from their Washington, D.C., home. Lately Aldwin has been acting strangely—he’s there for her court appearance, but it’s clear there’s something wrong. Lil must also navigate school without her two best friends, who were involved in the latest incident: Britney is still being detained, and Yaris’ family immediately sent her away to the Dominican Republic. One bright spot is the attention of Yonas Kassa, a boy she’s liked since middle school who looks like Biggie Smalls. As she tries to figure out how much to share with Yonas, Lil’s concerns about Aldwin escalate. She’s convinced she must go to him—even if traveling to Richmond, Virginia, violates the terms of her pretrial release. Acevedo’s masterful narrative handles the issues Lil faces with believable sensitivity and insight. The culturally rich language and authentically portrayed characters who are full of complexity make this work shine, and the blend of prose and poetry enhances the compelling storytelling.
An irresistible story of family connection, resilience, and loyalty. (author’s note, resources) (Verse fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2026
ISBN: 9780062882790
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2026
An enticing, turbulent, and satisfying final voyage.
Adrian, the youngest of the Montague siblings, sails into tumultuous waters in search of answers about himself, the sudden death of his mother, and her mysterious, cracked spyglass.
On the summer solstice less than a year ago, Caroline Montague fell off a cliff in Aberdeen into the sea. When the Scottish hostel where she was staying sends a box of her left-behind belongings to London, Adrian—an anxious, White nobleman on the cusp of joining Parliament—discovers one of his mother’s most treasured possessions, an antique spyglass. She acquired it when she was the sole survivor of a shipwreck many years earlier. His mother always carried that spyglass with her, but on the day of her death, she had left it behind in her room. Although he never knew its full significance, Adrian is haunted by new questions and is certain the spyglass will lead him to the truth. Once again, Lee crafts an absorbing adventure with dangerous stakes, dynamic character growth, sharp social and political commentary, and a storm of emotion. Inseparable from his external search for answers about his mother, Adrian seeks a solution for himself, an end to his struggle with mental illness—a journey handled with hopeful, gentle honesty that validates the experiences of both good and bad days. Characters from the first two books play significant secondary roles, and the resolution ties up their loose ends. Humorous antics provide a well-measured balance with the heavier themes.
An enticing, turbulent, and satisfying final voyage. (Historical fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-291601-3
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2021
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