Well-done and thoughtful but relentless in pounding home a needed admonition.
Editor Cart has gathered a collection of 13 short stories and three brief essays dealing with the often negative combination of teens and guns.
Most of the authors are well-known. After accidentally ending up with a handgun, Walter Dean Myers' somewhat troubled teen protagonist murders a drug dealer then goes into business for himself—turned criminal by the gun, a message repeated by Peter Johnson. Tim Wynne-Jones' teen uses a handgun to scare off a relentless bully, but another, mentally unstable teen gets the gun next—with evil intentions. Eric Shanower uses a series of ironic wordless cartoon panels to depict what Eros, god of love, does with increasingly serious weaponry. Francesca Lia Block has an unarmed elementary school teacher use only her sensitive language to disarm a potential school shooter. In Joyce Carol Oates’ overlong tale, a homely, jealous girl “accidentally” shoots her attractive sister's love interest with her stepfather's handgun. A much-needed humorous counterpoint by Ron Koertge portrays a pair of glib deer hiring a man to defend them against hunters. With few rather neutral exceptions, the message is solidly anti-gun, with many stories sharing a common theme: without an available gun, this crime wouldn't have happened. All of the tales are insightful, but the message is never especially subtle.
Well-done and thoughtful but relentless in pounding home a needed admonition. (Anthology. 12-18)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-232735-2
Page Count: 368
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: June 5, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2015
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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