A gripping teen Western with a transgender protagonist.
The son of a recently deceased bull-riding legend, Chris Taylor is determined to make a name for himself on the rodeo circuit and give his little sister, Luce, a better life.
With his substance-abusing stepmother in a coma, 17-year-old Chris is separated from what’s left of his family as Luce is put in foster care and he is sent to live in an abusive boys home. Chris hides the fact that he is transgender, knowing he’ll be barred from bull riding if anyone finds out. However, Chris’ secret is just one of his problems. In order to graduate high school, go to college, and get himself and Luce out of their small Texas town, he’ll need to conquer bucking bulls, sadistic bullies, and a sheriff who is mysteriously out for his blood. The captivating, high-stakes plot with its larger-than-life villains verges on melodramatic—and that’s not a bad thing. Chris must learn confidence and trust in his friends as he grapples with sexuality, abuse, corruption, drugs, suicide, and grief. Some of the language around gender and an instance of deadnaming reflect the 1994 Texas setting. Behind an unappealing book cover, Kent has taken elements of Western, coming-of-age, and romance novels and combined them to create a touching yet exciting tale of a young man finding his way in the world. Characters present as White.
A gripping teen Western with a transgender protagonist. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: April 13, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-63555-904-0
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
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
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense.
Everyone believes that Salil Singh killed his girlfriend, Andrea Bell, five years ago—except Pippa Fitz-Amobi.
Pip has known and liked Sal since childhood; he’d supported her when she was being bullied in middle school. For her senior capstone project, Pip researches the disappearance of former Fairview High student Andie, last seen on April 18, 2014, by her younger sister, Becca. The original investigation concluded with most of the evidence pointing to Sal, who was found dead in the woods, apparently by suicide. Andie’s body was never recovered, and Sal was assumed by most to be guilty of abduction and murder. Unable to ignore the gaps in the case, Pip sets out to prove Sal’s innocence, beginning with interviewing his younger brother, Ravi. With his help, Pip digs deeper, unveiling unsavory facts about Andie and the real reason Sal’s friends couldn’t provide him with an alibi. But someone is watching, and Pip may be in more danger than she realizes. Pip’s sleuthing is both impressive and accessible. Online articles about the case and interview transcripts are provided throughout, and Pip’s capstone logs offer insights into her thought processes as new evidence and suspects arise. Jackson’s debut is well-executed and surprises readers with a connective web of interesting characters and motives. Pip and Andie are white, and Sal is of Indian descent.
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense. (Mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-9636-0
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
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