A realistic rendering of teen life and its tumults.
In Kentsis’ YA novel, a teenage girl wrestles with the highs and lows of first love.
Francie Baum is an intellectually precocious 17-year-old smart enough to apply for early-decision admission to Duke University. However, she is not so ahead of the curve when it comes to matters of the heart—she’s only kissed two boys and has never officially had a boyfriend. All of that changes when she begins to date Eitan, a handsome high school junior with whom she falls deeply in love and to whom she ultimately loses her virginity. She couldn’t be happier with him, but their relationship is challenged when he travels to Israel for six and a half weeks (both teens are Jewish) and, for reasons inexplicable to her, he doesn’t respond to any of her letters. Meanwhile, Francie struggles with the tortured absence of her older brother, Joseph, who suffers from drug and alcohol addiction and who she hasn’t seen in four years (“When I was a lot younger, I totally revered him”). Kentsis thoughtfully portrays Francie’s bout of “real boy disease” in a way that combines humorous lightheartedness with tender gravity. Francie is neither extremely popular nor unpopular, occupying a position on the adolescent hierarchy that makes her particularly relatable. Moreover, her sensitivity, intelligence, and maturity make it much easier for the author to present the teen experience with a maximum of nuance and delicacy—the entire narrative is told from her perspective. Finally, the depiction of teenage sexuality and its exploratory aspects—a feature of the YA novel typically fraught with pitfalls—is handled with impressive authenticity. Here and there, the plot slows to a leisurely amble, but this is a minor quibble; the tale as a whole should keep readers immersed. This is a book that teens will enjoy, and one their parents should read along with them.
A realistic rendering of teen life and its tumults.Pub Date: Feb. 22, 2025
ISBN: 9798992616101
Page Count: 260
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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