Engrossing to the end.
A South African teen unravels the mysteries of her own and her mother’s pasts.
Amandla’s life is filled with the unknown. Not only are her mother Annalisa’s “episodes” unpredictable, Amandla also knows next to nothing about either of their personal histories. Mixed-race Amandla does know that her father was Black, which is rather scandalous even in her post-Mandela nation given that Annalisa is White. When Annalisa returns from Durban on Amandla’s 15th birthday, badly shaken and without her usual practical gifts, Amandla finds an address and lots of cash in Annalisa’s purse. She decides to investigate in hopes of finally getting answers to her many questions. What she discovers could have led to a basic rags-to-riches story, but Nunn avoids that trope, choosing instead to focus on the amazing community of their township, Sugar Town; indeed, the setting is one of the strongest aspects of the story. The community of strong women who support Amandla is juxtaposed with one she later encounters that lacks the same cohesiveness. What follows are many highly dramatic turns of events and a narrative that shows a young woman reckoning with possible paths lying ahead and harsh judgments of women’s behavior. The novel ultimately acknowledges that different people behave in different ways, even given similar circumstances. This origin-story mystery features a cast that reflects the diversity of its setting.
Engrossing to the end. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-525-51560-9
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
PERSPECTIVES
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
A thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning.
Two teens train to be society-sanctioned killers in an otherwise immortal world.
On post-mortal Earth, humans live long (if not particularly passionate) lives without fear of disease, aging, or accidents. Operating independently of the governing AI (called the Thunderhead since it evolved from the cloud), scythes rely on 10 commandments, quotas, and their own moral codes to glean the population. After challenging Hon. Scythe Faraday, 16-year-olds Rowan Damisch and Citra Terranova reluctantly become his apprentices. Subjected to killcraft training, exposed to numerous executions, and discouraged from becoming allies or lovers, the two find themselves engaged in a fatal competition but equally determined to fight corruption and cruelty. The vivid and often violent action unfolds slowly, anchored in complex worldbuilding and propelled by political machinations and existential musings. Scythes’ journal entries accompany Rowan’s and Citra’s dual and dueling narratives, revealing both personal struggles and societal problems. The futuristic post–2042 MidMerican world is both dystopia and utopia, free of fear, unexpected death, and blatant racism—multiracial main characters discuss their diverse ethnic percentages rather than purity—but also lacking creativity, emotion, and purpose. Elegant and elegiac, brooding but imbued with gallows humor, Shusterman’s dark tale thrusts realistic, likable teens into a surreal situation and raises deep philosophic questions.
A thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning. (Science fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4424-7242-6
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 25, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016
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