“A dog’s days are short, but his moments are pure.” And Burgess’s (Kite, 2000, etc.) narrative never shies from a pure canine experience in this unnerving allegory of a difficult 17-year-old. Sandra Francy covers every meaning in the dictionary for the word “bitch,” even literally being transformed into one by an alcoholic with an unfortunate magical twist. The unflinching Burgess exercises no leash in exploring Sandra’s personality, at once self-centered, cynical, vulgar, rebellious, and highly sexed. She is concerned with freely enjoying her young life, throwing advice and caution to the wind. When she changes into a dog, plainly the lure of the pack and utter freedom of a street dog’s life is little different from the life she was living. However, this is a study of human teenage psychology through a dog’s snout, and Sandra, now “Lady,” must overcome fear while balancing longings for security, her need for family, and the gradual overwhelming urgency of her canine senses. Each scene, whether as bad girl or as bitch, vibrates with verisimilitude, and in either state, Sandra/Lady is little bolstered by the cast of characters as flawed as she: her broken family, her brother whom she misjudges, her best friend, and her boyfriend, both of whom she discards for reasons rational only to a teen battling with an identity crisis. And then there are her friends in the dog world: Toby the magical alchie, and Fella and Mitch, two mutts who also were once people. The target audience may not understand some of the British slang in which Burgess steeps his prose, or why her father suddenly returns from America when she disappears. Or it might be shocked by the frank obsession with sex or even the choices Sandra makes, despite their worldly familiarity. But the shock one feels by the resolution, when the girl is at last finally and naturally true to herself, nips at the heels of the most hard-bitten innocent who refuses to stop and think life through for herself. It is that reader who must wonder and decide which side of the evolutionary fence to inhabit and therefore benefit from this intensely observed cautionary tale. (Fiction. YA)
Pub Date: May 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-8050-7148-2
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2002
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters.
When star hockey player Alec Barczewski’s estranged childhood friend, Dani Collins, moves to town, they end up in a mutually beneficial fake-dating relationship that reignites old feelings.
Following her parents’ divorce, Dani and her mom move in with Dani’s hockey legend grandfather in Southview, Minnesota, where she spent a month every summer as a child and where her friendship with Alec grew. Between visits, the two were pen pals, but they eventually fell out of touch. Despite some tensions over their loss of friendship, the high school seniors reconnect. Desperate to get off Harvard’s waitlist, Dani needs another extracurricular activity, while Alec—whose reputation took a hit when a photo of him holding a bong appeared on social media—is eager to improve his tarnished image for NHL scouts. The pair strike a deal: They’ll fake date, making Alec look like a stable guy whose academically gifted girlfriend is related to hockey royalty, and in exchange, he’ll get Dani a team manager position that will catch the eye of Harvard’s admissions officers. Eventually, complicated feelings about their past, stressful family relationships, and their brewing romance boil over. Romance fans will love the deliciously tension-filled scenes between Alec and Dani, who are believable friends with heavy demands weighing on them. They feel like real teenagers, and readers will enjoy rooting for them as the well-paced story unfolds. Main characters present white.
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9781665921268
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
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
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