A candid morality tale that reminds kids of the power that comes from thinking for one’s self.
A struggling high schooler learns to trust himself as he breaks away from everything that is holding him back in Thompson’s YA novel.
Brady Judd is a 10th grader at Edison High School who lives with his hardworking grandmother. Encouraged by his “friends” Hector and Carlton, Brady has begun to skip class and, as a result, his grades are plummeting. When the trio decides to drink alcohol under the school’s football stadium bleachers, Brady is the only one who gets caught. Sentenced to two weeks of cleanup crew with the elderly Mr. Damon, Brady doesn’t see a reason to change his self-destructive ways. That all changes when his grandmother is diagnosed with Parkinson’s and forced into an early retirement. The shocking diagnosis, combined with a teacher’s encouraging note (“Keep thinking for yourself and be strong”) pushes Brady to reconsider what he wants out of his life. He distances himself from Hector and Carlton, begins regularly attending class, and strikes up a friendship with the studious Faye. When tragedy strikes, Brady will have to draw upon all of his inner strength to help those around him who need it most. The text’s simple vocabulary and sentence structure makes it ideal for early to middle-grade readers. While the dialogue is painfully stiff at times (“I was scared about your future. But you have come a long way”), Brady’s inspirational journey of self-discovery makes it easy to overlook. Thompson also explores generational trauma through the youthful troubles of Brady’s own mother, which adds nuance to an otherwise straightforward tale. Brady’s decision to ditch his friends doesn’t come easily, but it almost immediately results in drastic life improvements (better grades, a genuine friend in Faye, a special award). While the rewards come a little too quickly to be completely realistic, the story succeeds in its heartfelt mission to spur young readers to stand up for themselves.
A candid morality tale that reminds kids of the power that comes from thinking for one’s self.Pub Date: April 16, 2025
ISBN: 9781964809038
Page Count: 122
Publisher: Finding Forward Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 6, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression.
After surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself.
Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis, a white girl living on the margins, thinks she has little reason to live: her father drowned himself; her bereft and abusive mother kicked her out; her best friend, Ellis, is nearly brain dead after cutting too deeply; and she's gone through unspeakable experiences living on the street. After spending time in treatment with other young women like her—who cut, burn, poke, and otherwise hurt themselves—Charlie is released and takes a bus from the Twin Cities to Tucson to be closer to Mikey, a boy she "like-likes" but who had pined for Ellis instead. But things don't go as planned in the Arizona desert, because sweet Mikey just wants to be friends. Feeling rejected, Charlie, an artist, is drawn into a destructive new relationship with her sexy older co-worker, a "semifamous" local musician who's obviously a junkie alcoholic. Through intense, diarylike chapters chronicling Charlie's journey, the author captures the brutal and heartbreaking way "girls who write their pain on their bodies" scar and mar themselves, either succumbing or surviving. Like most issue books, this is not an easy read, but it's poignant and transcendent as Charlie breaks more and more before piecing herself back together.
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression. (author’s note) (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-101-93471-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
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