Grounded, compelling, and full of drama.
Two elite high school gymnasts manage secrets and scandal as they compete for the top spot in this follow-up to Balancing Act (2025).
Best friends Alicia “Leesh” Swanson, who’s Black, and Selena Torres, who’s Afro-Latina, adjust to a new normal after a rough start at the Heights School of Technology, Sports & Arts, their charter school. Leesh is adjusting to living with her newly discovered sister and former gymnastics rival, Chyna—and her old secret boo, Spencer, could be enrolling at the Heights. Leesh is happy with her boyfriend, Jamaal, but the history she shares with Spencer might be exposed if the anonymous gossip profile Hot Lipz keeps dropping hints on the Chatter app. Selena is starting to worry that Chyna and Leesh are forming a real sisterly bond, and she’ll be the odd one out. And then she learns that her old Winston Prep tormentor, white lacrosse player Spencer, might attend the Heights. His racist taunts were part of why she transferred and secretly reported him and his friends for vandalism. How does Hot Lipz know what really happened? As more secrets are revealed, Leesh and Selena struggle to maintain their bond and focus on the mat. This intriguing, layered story shows both parents’ and teens’ flaws and struggles. Personal relationships are front and center, built on explorations of media, influence, class, and friendship. A recap of events from the first book allows this sequel to work as a stand-alone.
Grounded, compelling, and full of drama. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2026
ISBN: 9781250809414
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2026
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
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
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