Friendship conquers all in this ninth-grade slice-of-life as two teenage girls, one hot, one not, make it through their first rocky year of high school. Sari and Jess, the only two girls at Eldridge Alternative “who don’t communicate by squealing and squeaking” have been best friends forever. Besides a love for tacky movies, they share a hatred for classmate Erica Trager and her Prada Mafia, a clique of rich, stylishly attired girls whose “combined IQ is roughly equivalent to that of a kumquat.” But suddenly, Sari, who is beautiful, sexy, and ready for adventure, doesn’t want to spend her nights watching old movies; she’s fallen “madly, psychotically in love with David Cole,” a handsome and popular senior who is fully enmeshed in a romantic relationship with another in-crowd member. Much to the more ordinary-looking Jess’s despair, Sari ends up having a secret and degrading relationship with her beloved, who is firmly glued to his old girlfriend in public. Sari is consumed by David and the minutiae of their secret liaison, while Jess is fixated on Sari and what her involvement with David will mean for their friendship. With insight and a nice sprinkling of wit, newcomer Fredericks realistically captures high-school society, as well as neatly nailing the poignant voice of teenage obsession. Alas, obsession is by its very nature repetitive and the situation can become tiresome—also true to life—though readers who persevere can draw strength from the notion that friendship, like true love, can survive a multitude of stressors. A bright new voice to note. (Fiction. 12+)
Pub Date: March 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-689-85092-1
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Richard Jackson/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2003
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
Exactly what the title promises.
A grieving teen’s devotion to romance films might ruin her chances at actual romance.
Liz Buxbaum has always adored rom-coms, not least for helping her still feel close to her screenwriter mother, who died when she was little. Liz hopes that her senior year might turn into a real-life romantic fantasy, as an old crush has moved back to town, cuter and nicer than ever. Surely she can get Michael to ask her to prom. If only Wes, the annoying boy next door, would help her with her scheming! This charming, fluffy concoction manages to pack into one goofy plot every conceivable trope, from fake dating to the makeover to the big misunderstanding. Creative, quirky, daydreaming Liz is just shy of an annoying stereotype, saved by a dry wit and unresolved grief and anger. Wes makes for a delightful bad boy with a good heart, and supporting characters—including a sassy best friend, a perfect popular rival, even a (not really) evil stepmother—all get the opportunity to transcend their roles. The only villain here is Liz’s lovelorn imagination, provoking her into foolish lies that cause actual hurt feelings; but she is sufficiently self-aware to make amends just in time for the most important trope of all: a blissfully happy ending. All characters seem to be White by default.
Exactly what the title promises. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6762-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK TO SCREEN
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