A tension-filled and provocative premise commands readers’ attention even if it ultimately misses the mark. (Fiction. 13-18)
A boy newly arrived to the United States is locked in an outdoor kennel by his abusive adoptive father in this thriller.
JC and the family dog, Boy, are banished together to the enclosure for an untold offense against the violent, temperamental husband of JC’s kind, loving adoptive mother. Melanie is missing, and JC desperately hopes for her return, expressed in short, stream-of-consciousness–style musings addressed to Boy as together they endure hunger and exposure to the elements at the hands of their keeper. Interspersed are explanatory chapters written in more traditional form about JC’s harrowing back story—his abduction from his home to an orphanage, the earthquake that wreaked havoc on his home country, and his introduction to Melanie, an American doctor who eventually brings him into the U.S. with a false passport. All of the main characters are black: JC is Haitian, Melanie is Haitian-American, and her husband is described as having brown skin. Though some attempt is made to explain the motivations for the man’s behavior, his role as villain feels one-dimensional. While readers will be moved by JC’s tragic story, his internal monologues seem to go on too long, finally capped off with an overly neat conclusion.
A tension-filled and provocative premise commands readers’ attention even if it ultimately misses the mark. (Fiction. 13-18) (Fiction13-18)Pub Date: Aug. 8, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-78607-210-8
Page Count: 252
Publisher: Oneworld Publications
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
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
Raw, delicate, and deeply caring.
When Death-Cast doesn’t call, fate intertwines the lives of two boys, both haunted by their pasts and with futures they can’t escape.
In this third installment of the series that opened with 2017’s They Both Die at the End, Paz Dario waits every night for Death-Cast to call—as it should have for his father nearly 10 years ago, when Paz shot him to save his mother’s life. But the call never comes. Death-Cast killed Paz’s dreams of an acting career: No one will hire him now because the world sees him as a villain. When Paz tries (not for the first time) to put an end to his suffering, an unexpected encounter with Alano Rosa, the heir of Death-Cast, stops him. Both in a place of desperation, Alano and Paz sign a contract to live for Begin Days instead of waiting for their End Days. As suspenseful and emotionally wrenching as the previous titles in the series, this new installment explores heavy themes of abuse, mental health, self-harm, and suicide. Paz grapples with a recent diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. Silvera surrounds Alano and Paz with a web of complex relationships. Although the protagonists fall fast for one another and form a deep connection over Alano’s desire to support Paz, Silvera emphasizes the importance of professional help. Both Alano and Paz have Puerto Rican heritage. The cliffhanger ending promises more to come.
Raw, delicate, and deeply caring. (content warning, resources) (Speculative fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780063240858
Page Count: 720
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
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