An engaging mystery that investigates intimate themes with compassion.
Urgo’s debut YA novel tells the story of a teenager surviving the sudden loss of her mother.
At the opening of this powerful story of transformation and growth, set in present-day small-town New York, 16-year-old Violet McKenna Ashbyis working as a designer backstage for her high school’s latest theatrical performance when she learns that her mother, a commercial airline pilot, never came to the show—because her plane vanished. Soon news reports and social media are speculating that her mother brought the plane down on purpose, or perhaps “US133 has been cyberhijacked by a remote foreign body,” even “perhaps a domestic threat.” Unlike her sister and father, who seem to accept that her mother is dead almost immediately, Violet stubbornly attempts to learn the truth of the plane’s disappearance, along the way uncovering a series of revelatory secrets which lead her to self-harm—an old habit she fights against. The novel explores themes of mental illness and betrayal within a family with insight and empathy, and Urgo is excellent at describing the chaotic rhythms of teenagers in the 21st century, particularly those in the midst of extraordinary circumstances. Like many teens, Violet feels alone in her angst, describing the loss of her mother as a sign that she “couldn’t have nice things,” such as act in the upcoming school play or have a boyfriend or girlfriend, because “life wasn’t meant to be perfect” for her. Each of the characters in Urgo’s narrative is drawn with refreshing detail, making them feel believable: Violet’s father is a writer of crime novels, while her mother is the primary breadwinner; her sister, Savannah, gets a kidney infection; and her friends Alex and Langdon have anxieties, ambitions, and dreams and sometimes make mistakes. Even if, over the course of her odyssey, Violet comes to uncomfortable conclusions, she undergoes a powerful and engaging transformation.
An engaging mystery that investigates intimate themes with compassion.Pub Date: June 7, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-64937-217-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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
© 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.
