An excellent read offering a potent reminder that life is precious.
A diagnosis of a brain tumor forces a Toronto teenager to confront his fears.
David Wali Khan is pumped for 10th grade; the “dumpster fire that was freshman year” is behind him, and he looks forward to crushing his life goals, like handing in his homework on time. Then he finds out that the vomiting and headaches he’s attributed to stress are actually caused by an acoustic neuroma. It may be benign, but the complex surgery comes with serious, life-altering risks. His interfaith Pakistani immigrant parents (“Aba’s a Muslim; Mom’s a Christian”) and his 21-year-old twin sisters are loving and supportive, even through Wali’s outbursts. But Wali does manage to wound his bestie, Kamran Chaudhary, a recent arrival from Pakistan. Ruby Lai-Mirza, a new girl from Vancouver who’s also from a mixed-faith background (Buddhist and Muslim), enters the picture. Poetry-loving Ruby discovers @Raja_Ebert, the old Instagram account where Wali posted his Bollywood movie reviews. Soon the “tight bubble of two” has expanded to include her—and despite K-Man’s tender, patient nature, he and Wali have a falling out. By working with his therapist, Dr. Iman, Wali lowers his defenses to access the strength of his “old soul,” the wisdom of the religions he’s been raised in, and the kindness others offer him. The story is moving without being maudlin, and Hussain’s YA debut vividly captures Wali’s voice with humor and charm.
An excellent read offering a potent reminder that life is precious. (content warning, resources) (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9780735271555
Page Count: 360
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
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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