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THE WOLVES ARE WAITING

Gripping and resonant; a good pick for intergenerational book clubs.

Fifteen-year-old Nora Melchionda remembers sipping root beer at a fraternity fundraiser, then nothing more until Camille Dodd woke her on the Faber College golf course.

Adam Xu interrupted a sexual assault on Nora, chased the three assailants away, and texted Cam, Nora’s best friend, for help. In the aftermath, Nora wonders if it’s her fault: She’d worn a miniskirt, earning her conservative mom’s disapproval, and her older brother, Asher, had already warned her about how some boys interpret girls’ short, tight clothes. Cam feels guilty because she’d been at a different party kissing Asher at the time. So when Nora refuses to report the matter to the police, well-intentioned Cam forges ahead, persuading Adam (who has long nursed a crush on Nora) to help her investigate, although his parents work at the college and he fears repercussions for their employment if he gets publicly involved. Meanwhile, Nora makes painful discoveries of her own that have a devastating impact on her relationships. This small New York town is proud of the college’s sports prowess, its privileged male athletes nurtured by an entrenched Greek system and overseen by Nora’s beloved college athletic director dad. The fast-paced plot and well-developed characters bring a crime with broad, deep roots nourished by local tradition into compelling focus. Like most of the town, Nora’s family is White. Biracial Cam is Haitian and implied White; Adam is Chinese American.

Gripping and resonant; a good pick for intergenerational book clubs. (Fiction. 14-adult)

Pub Date: March 22, 2022

ISBN: 978-0-316-04531-5

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: Jan. 10, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2022

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IF HE HAD BEEN WITH ME

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

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INDIVISIBLE

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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