An engaging combination of romance and drama that credibly conveys an important social message for teens while providing...
In this new entry of the Bluford Series, a collection of novels for teens in fifth to 10th grade, Liselle Mason narrates a personal account of teen pregnancy and its impact on the inner-city students of fictional Bluford High School.
Kern (No Way Out, 2011) gives an up-close, personal look at teen pregnancy, with the skillful, realistic handling of the teenage girl’s perspective being the novel’s main strength. The readable novel unfolds as Liselle retells her story before a room of tough yet vulnerable girls at her former high school. Her memories focus on the emotions and practical obstacles teen mothers face—rejection, fear, uncertainty—and the loss of innocence that forces them to grow up, often before they’re ready. Lisette recounts how she experienced all of these emotions yet managed—through personal strength and supportive female relatives—to adapt to her new life as a single, working mother. She openly shares her anxiety about hanging out with friends, going to parties and meeting boys. She’s honest about liking the attention she receives from Oscar, the baby’s father, and the crushing disappointment she feels when he ignores her at school. Her retelling of the day she gathers enough nerve to take a pregnancy test leaves a lasting impression. Unable to handle her strict mother’s reaction to her pregnancy, Liselle runs to her aloof father, who tries to send her home. Feeling completely alone, she visits a favorite cousin, Shayna, mother of 1-year-old Ruby. Here, Liselle gains a realistic view of parenthood from her Aunt Zoe, who’s essentially raising Ruby. Telling the story through Liselle conveys a fuller picture of teen pregnancy than any recitation of statistics or adult lectures could. Even in the story, Liselle’s honesty and openness move her audience from rude and disruptive to attentive and empathic. Sharing her story helps Liselle realize her progress, renewing her hope for a successful future.
An engaging combination of romance and drama that credibly conveys an important social message for teens while providing adults with insight into the social and emotional pressures facing today’s youth.Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2010
ISBN: 978-1591942344
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: April 2, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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 prototypical survival story: after an airplane crash, a 13-year-old city boy spends two months alone in the Canadian wilderness. In transit between his divorcing parents, Brian is the plane's only passenger. After casually showing him how to steer, the pilot has a heart attack and dies. In a breathtaking sequence, Brian maneuvers the plane for hours while he tries to think what to do, at last crashing as gently and levelly as he can manage into a lake. The plane sinks; all he has left is a hatchet, attached to his belt. His injuries prove painful but not fundamental. In time, he builds a shelter, experiments with berries, finds turtle eggs, starts a fire, makes a bow and arrow to catch fish and birds, and makes peace with the larger wildlife. He also battles despair and emerges more patient, prepared to learn from his mistakes—when a rogue moose attacks him and a fierce storm reminds him of his mortality, he's prepared to make repairs with philosophical persistence. His mixed feelings surprise him when the plane finally surfaces so that he can retrieve the survival pack; and then he's rescued. Plausible, taut, this is a spellbinding account. Paulsen's staccato, repetitive style conveys Brian's stress; his combination of third-person narrative with Brian's interior monologue pulls the reader into the story. Brian's angst over a terrible secret—he's seen his mother with another man—is undeveloped and doesn't contribute much, except as one item from his previous life that he sees in better perspective, as a result of his experience. High interest, not hard to read. A winner.
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1987
ISBN: 1416925082
Page Count: -
Publisher: Bradbury
Review Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1987
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