The brevity and format of this family drama may appeal to reluctant readers, but the story itself isn’t completely engaging.
Seventeen-year-old Henry navigates difficult territory when his adoptive father decides to run for local office just as his older brother, Simon, returns from serving in an unnamed war, bringing his girlfriend, Gracie Lyn Mahdavi, and their baby daughter home with him.
Henry and his twin sister, Helena, experienced a safe and relatively uneventful upbringing after being adopted as young children by Dr. Knights, a school superintendent, and his wife, who died soon afterward. But now, as an older teen, Henry feels invisible to his dad. Simon’s struggle with what seems to be PTSD and his problematic use of alcohol and drugs to cope are sympathetically described, and perhaps due to this focus, Simon is the most extensively developed of all the characters, who otherwise feel one dimensional. Henry and Helena’s adoption and their father’s political ambitions are interesting details, but they are not fully explored. This novel geared for struggling readers depicts Henry’s family’s story in brief passages in verse that make for a quick-paced and accessible read, though the overuse of italics detracts from their ability to effectively cue any particular emphasis. The Knights family and other characters seem to be white by default. Gracie Lyn is Muslim and from Atlantic City.
The brevity and format of this family drama may appeal to reluctant readers, but the story itself isn’t completely engaging. (Verse novel. 14-18)Pub Date: June 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5383-8274-5
Page Count: 200
Publisher: West 44 Books
Review Posted Online: April 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2019
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
A powerful story of family, belonging, and identity interlaced with thriller elements.
A wary teen wonders if she should run when people come looking for her.
Lucy Smith was raised by her white father, who said little about her mother. Following his death and her stepmother’s abandonment, Lucy entered the foster care system at 14. Her stepmother revealed that Lucy’s birth mom was Native American, but her social worker urged her to keep that quiet. Battered by her time in the foster care system, it’s no wonder that 18-year-old Lucy is cautious when she’s approached by a man who says he’s an attorney who helps Native American foster kids connect with their families and communities. He introduces her to a friend who reveals to Lucy that she knows her Ojibwe maternal relatives—but a wary Lucy refuses her offer to learn more. Someone is stalking her, after all, and the FBI is investigating the bomb that went off in the diner where she worked—an event she’s sure targeted her. This stand-alone from bestseller Boulley, who’s an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, includes characters her fans will recognize from previous works. The action scenes are mediated by ruminations on the failings of the foster care system and strong portrayals of Lucy’s relationship with her father and her complicated identity. Ardent book lover Lucy is a sympathetic narrator whose strong sense of justice is coupled with a deep acceptance of others.
A powerful story of family, belonging, and identity interlaced with thriller elements. (content warning, author’s note) (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9781250328533
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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