An emotional, realistic tale for reluctant readers.
A boy hoping for a better future and a girl who can’t see her own find one another.
Gin and Johnny are high school juniors struggling through life with little consideration for their futures. Gin, suddenly dumped by the first girl she’s ever dated, is sadder than ever, as she still grieves for her dead mother and wonders whether her mom would have loved her if she’d known she was gay. Johnny, who struggles with bulimia, has little respite from life at school (where he is laughed at) or home (where he lives in fear of his abusive father) unless he is in his secret hideaway at school. Neither can see through their own problems long enough to help the other, but they find themselves becoming friends after Gin discovers Johnny’s hiding place. Though they grow closer, Gin and Johnny aren’t sure if they can trust one another with their closely guarded secrets. But the weekend of Johnny’s birthday, things take a turn for the worse, and they realize just how much they mean to one another. Told in alternating perspectives, the author deftly details the suffering and sadness that Gin and Johnny live through. Readers will appreciate the simple, yet carefully chosen words that show the realistic, and occasionally raw, feelings of two teens wading through uncertainty. The short text and quick-paced storyline make for an engaging novel. Gin is cued as black and Johnny as white.
An emotional, realistic tale for reluctant readers. (Verse novel. 13-18)Pub Date: June 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5383-8278-3
Page Count: 200
Publisher: West 44 Books
Review Posted Online: March 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2020
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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