A sometimes-engaging but problematic story of a teen wrestler, his friends, and his family.
This contemporary YA novel follows a teenager as he prepares for his last year as a high school wrestler with an unexpected new teammate.
When high school junior Ben McDowell attended the wrap-up dinner for the Wildcat wrestling team’s season, he didn’t expect Coach Garland to announce that a girl would be joining the all-male team next year. Jordan Mueller racked up plenty of wins at her previous school, and she has a heck of a lot of drive. Soon, Ben appreciates how hard she works—especially after they go a couple of practice rounds in his home gym. Meanwhile, Ben has a crush on Talia Butler, another classmate, and hopes that over the summer he’ll work up the nerve to really talk to her. The vacation season begins on a sour note, though, with the death of his dog, which further throws off his family’s dynamic. He’s already embarrassed by his autistic brother Johnny’s singing songs in public, and his younger sister seems to be interested in one of his teammates. As he prepares for his final high school wrestling season, it becomes clear that this will be a summer to remember. May, the author of Dogs Don’t Talk (2015), pens a modern slice-of-life YA novel that will appeal to sports fans and neophytes alike as it follows Ben into his senior year. The author does a good job of portraying the roiling teenage mindset; Ben waffles on how he feels about his dog dying, for instance, and feels conflicting emotions about the behaviors of his family members. Most of the secondary characters are quite charming, and the pacing is quick, breezing through the story’s lighter scenes. However, Ben displays some unlikable traits, and he says some things that will offend readers, such as calling his autistic brother an “animal” and expressing a desire to hit him.
A sometimes-engaging but problematic story of a teen wrestler, his friends, and his family.Pub Date: Aug. 19, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-66320-234-5
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Iuniverse Inc
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
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