A solid debut that explores coming-of-age topics with sensitivity.
Boxing becomes an attractive defense tactic against bullying for a queer Filipino teenager in Los Angeles.
You’d better watch your back if you attend Westlake High, an especially tough place to be a gay teenager. When Bobby Agbayani is outed by graffitied hate speech on his locker, he becomes the target of relentless harassment by Rex and Eddie, two Filipino brothers, and their lackey, Jorge, who is Mexican. When a vicious beat down by the trio leaves Bobby badly injured and without his bike—a beloved gift from his deceased father—he takes up boxing to fight back. Inspired by his hero, world champion fighter Manny Pacquiao, Bobby trades custodial work for boxing lessons from Luke, the Jab Gym’s curmudgeonly yet generous Black owner. With the support of Rosie, his wisecracking Latina best friend, and Brandon, his loyal (and wealthy) Filipino boyfriend, Bobby persists through rigorous training while avoiding Rex and his goons at all costs, struggling through school, and ensuring that his hardworking single mother stays ignorant of his real-life drama. Even though the plot feels plodding at times, and readers may wish for a more nuanced resolution, Pulido addresses important themes of homophobia, socio-economic differences, and fallen heroes with a light hand. Bobby’s internal voice is especially strong, coming across authentically with a spot-on blend of candor and sarcasm in keeping with the geek culture he enjoys.
A solid debut that explores coming-of-age topics with sensitivity. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780593526736
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Feb. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
A sweet and joyful romance times two.
Natalya Fox is ready for change but afraid of making the wrong decision; luckily she doesn’t have to choose in this parallel-timelines rom-com à la Sliding Doors.
Seventeen-year-old Natalya Fox has been given the choice of spending the summer at home with her father in New York City or moving in with her mother in Los Angeles. Manhattan is the safer option and would keep Natalya in her all-too-familiar comfort zone, but it does come with the possibility of romance with the girl Natalya has been crushing on for ages, known to her only as the Redhead due to Natalya’s inability to introduce herself. Los Angeles offers an internship and a chance to reconnect with her mother, and the other new intern, a boy her mom describes as cute, could be an unexpected perk. So Natalya makes her choice—and then she makes her other choice. Split between two parallel timelines, the novel shows readers Natalya falling in love, exploring her post-graduation plans, and finding new ways of connecting with her parents in both cities. Each of the timelines is exciting and heartwarming, although the Los Angeles love interest reads as more complex than the one back East, and the New York storyline lacks significant conflict, giving the West Coast one more depth overall. Bisexual Natalya is Jewish, and subjects such as keeping kosher, being queer and Jewish, and observing Shabbat are thoughtfully woven in.
A sweet and joyful romance times two. (Romance. 13-18)Pub Date: June 13, 2023
ISBN: 9781250871640
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2023
A meditation and adventure quest offering solace to anyone bearing an unfair burden.
What does it mean to come into your own power by letting go of it?
The villagers of Empalme devoutly pray to Solís, the feared higher power who unleashed La Quema, or fire, on humanity for its ills of greed, war, and jealousy. As the village cuentista, Xochitl listens to and receives the villagers’ stories into her body, clearing their consciences, preventing the manifestation of their nightmares, and releasing them to Solís in the desert. Having diligently played this role since childhood, she is now a deeply lonesome 16-year-old whose only comfort comes from cherished poems. Worn weary by her role, she leaves on an odyssey in search of another way to exist. In their sophomore novel, Oshiro deftly weaves an intricate, allegorical, and often gory tale within a post-apocalyptic desert setting that readers will feel so viscerally they may very well need to reach for a glass of water. It is a world parallel to ours, rife with Biblical references and the horrific traps that Latinx immigrants face while seeking better lives. Xochitl’s first-person, questioning narration—interlaced with terrifying cuentos that she receives on her journey—is the strongest voice, although secondary and tertiary characters, both human and mythical, are given a tenderness and humanity. All main characters are Latinx, and queer relationships are integrated with refreshing normality.
A meditation and adventure quest offering solace to anyone bearing an unfair burden. (Fantasy/horror. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-16921-1
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Tor Teen
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
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