Grim yet powerfully and lovingly rendered.
This Irish import, a dark retelling of “The Little Mermaid,” follows Muireann as she mourns her sister, Mairéad, who was captured in a fishing net.
The merfolk face starvation from overfishing, and Muireann hopes the Prince will help once he learns of the crisis. She seeks out her Aunt Réaltín, the Sea Witch, requesting a potion that would allow her to walk on land and speak with humans. After coming ashore, Muireann meets the green-eyed Prince and is shocked when he boasts about his kingdom’s fishing prowess. Refreshingly, Muireann isn’t a conventional svelte mermaid; she has “lovely rolls” that keep her warm and “strong and wide arms.” The mermaids have “thick tails” that mostly are “a deep blue, / or murky black, // shimmering scales / that capture an / imaginary light / in this beautifully dark place.” The callous Prince finds her body repulsive and cruelly displays her at his nightly parties, forcing her to eat and dance, and imprisoning her in the dungeon by day. Ennis portrays Muireann’s tragic story through concise poems and longer free verse, using the size and physical layout of the text to illuminate her movements and emotional state. When describing the bars of her cage, the words form a grid pattern on the page. In another poem, two columns of echoing lines compare Mairéad and Muireann. The themes of body shaming and environmental harm will resonate with readers, and the masterful writing truly stands out.
Grim yet powerfully and lovingly rendered. (Verse fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: June 23, 2026
ISBN: 9781915071989
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Little Island
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2026
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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