An ultimately hopeful swirl of prognostication, conspiracy theory, and angst.
Eighteen-year-old Crosby, with her prematurely white hair, embraces her witchy side and struggles with loss and the possibly impending cataclysmic end of the world.
As the Oregon summer transitions into the first year of college, besties Crosby and Shannon drift apart. For financial reasons, Crosby has enrolled at “the state school with the least stupid mascot,” while Shannon shakes off the notion that they’re witches and heads to college in Tucson. Unanswered texts and Shannon’s happy photos on social media increase Crosby’s unease and loneliness, despite the efforts of her outgoing roommate, Teagan, to expand her social circle. News of dwarf planet Malachite, which is possibly on a collision course with Earth, sets a road trip in motion, bringing Teagan and her friends, Crosby, Shannon, and the potentially disastrous Malachite into one another’s orbits. Crosby is convinced that if she and her loved ones can learn to vibrate at a higher frequency, they will survive the impact and be reunited elsewhere. The lyrical descriptions and verse format are a good match for the novel’s lightly developed speculative fiction elements. Runes, tarot readings, and psychic advice from an enigmatic homeopath play with the notion of what is real; the sense of unreality is enhanced by the effects of the characters’ casual use of weed, shrooms, and alcohol. The cast is predominantly white; cultural appropriation is briefly raised and dismissed without interrogation.
An ultimately hopeful swirl of prognostication, conspiracy theory, and angst. (Verse fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: March 12, 2024
ISBN: 9781645678380
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Page Street
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
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
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
