Suffering from headaches, weight loss, bloody noses and more, 15-year-old Francis is diagnosed with leukemia, to the dismay...
Learning, loving and surviving with cancer.
Suffering from headaches, weight loss, bloody noses and more, 15-year-old Francis is diagnosed with leukemia, to the dismay of his functioning-alcoholic mother and his older, gay brother. While in treatment at a local hospital in northeastern England, he meets tough, straight-shooting, sassy Amber, who intrigues and dazzles him. The two fall tepidly in love, and the novel progresses as expectedly any romance between two teenagers with leukemia might. From the beginning, Crow establishes that Francis is considered “sensitive” or “soft” by his mother and brother, and readers should keep that in mind as they make their ways through. Parts of their affair will have readers rolling their eyes in embarrassment, but other parts will grab their attention with Crow’s cinematic ability to create an emotion or character with such sharpness they’ll want to read it again. All of the characters are rendered with affection and plenty of detail; readers will especially like Francis’ mother and his brother’s friend Fiona, both of whom have fiery personalities set against warmer cores. Francis himself may seem a bit whiny at times, but his sense of introspection helps counterbalance the fluff. Readers who like to cry will definitely need a box of tissues before they reach the end. Mushy but satisfying. (Fiction. 13-17) .Pub Date: March 10, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4814-1873-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Dec. 9, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
Earnest and heartfelt.
Two teenagers make a suicide pact in this poignant, first-person debut.
Sixteen-year-old Aysel’s life “can be neatly divided into two sections: before my father made the nightly news and after.” Since her mentally ill father murdered a local boy with Olympic hopes, Aysel feels as though her only escape from the public shame is suicide. She also worries that her father’s madness is genetic and exists inside her as well. Through a website that matches suicide partners, Aysel meets Roman, a kind, attractive, athletic boy who feels responsible for the drowning death of his little sister. Even though Aysel harbors a passion for science and Roman a love of basketball, they are determined not to let each other “flake out.” Together they begin enacting a fake relationship designed to lull Roman’s overprotective mother into allowing Roman more freedom so they can carry out their fatal plan. But when Aysel begins falling in love with Roman for real, she knows she can no longer follow through on their pact. Can she convince Roman that his life is worth living before it’s too late? Any teen who’s ever felt like an outsider will be able to relate to Aysel’s and Roman’s fully realized characters. The countdown at the beginning of each chapter to the couple’s death date (the same day Roman’s sister died) will help propel readers forward to a hopeful if not entirely unexpected ending.
Earnest and heartfelt. (author’s note, resources) (Fiction. 13-17)Pub Date: Feb. 10, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-232467-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Nov. 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
K-pop helps a cellist develop musically and emotionally in this novel filled with humor and theatrics.
A driven young woman learns to balance expectations and priorities with heart and passion.
A vivid, comical scene of everyday life in Koreatown introduces narrator Jenny Jooyoung Go, a high school junior and classical cellist aiming for a top conservatory. While her single-minded focus yields technical perfection, competition judges deem Jenny lacking in soulful spark. Her Uncle Jay advises her to experience more of life and broaden her horizons. An opportunity soon beckons, and the plot unfolds like a minidrama amid the Los Angeles Korean Festival, launching Jenny and her new acquaintance, Jaewoo, on an accidental adventure that foreshadows romance. When her mom, a widowed immigration lawyer, needs to return to Seoul to care for her dying mother, Jenny negotiates to go along for her first visit to Korea. Attending Seoul Arts Academy, Jenny witnesses the institutional grooming of K-pop idols—including (surprise!) classmate Jaewoo, who, as it turns out, is popular band XOXO’s lead singer. She also shares in the student performers’ duty-bound lives: Behind the glamour, they are burdened with obligations to their communities that can require sacrifice of their personal happiness. Themes of responsibility, regret, and reconciliation weave through the intergenerational dynamics in Jenny’s family, adding dimension and depth. The author incorporates Korean honorifics to convey a conversational tone and signal dialogue occurring in both languages.
K-pop helps a cellist develop musically and emotionally in this novel filled with humor and theatrics. (Fiction. 13-17)Pub Date: July 13, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-302499-1
Page Count: 352
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2021
PERSPECTIVES
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