A light read that celebrates inclusion.
Angelo is livid that his parents have uprooted their lives in San Diego to drive across the country to small-town, landlocked Ocean Pointe to take over Sloppy’s Pit Stop, a greasy spoon.
Leaving behind his girlfriend, Amanda; best friend, Mackabi; the ethnic diversity of San Diego; and a lot of his favorite foods, 16-year-old Filipino American Angelo Rivera starts off his junior year of high school with a plan to save up money flipping burgers at Sloppy’s. He’s saving up for a plane ticket to compete in the Streetsgiving skateboarding competition in San Diego in November—and he has a secret plan to try to finish high school there, living with his cool Tita Marie. When football jocks bully him on his first day in Ocean Pointe, calling him by the derogatory label brown boy, Angelo has even less confidence that he can be happy in this town. Lim’s straightforward narrative follows Angelo on his journey through friendship, love, and acclimating to a new home. For anyone who has felt unjustly uprooted, Angelo’s story can provide comforting reassurance that one can re-create home and community wherever they are. Readers seeking a predictable story with a happy ending straight out of a Disney movie will be satisfied; those looking for more depth and nuance should look elsewhere. Most of the population of Ocean Pointe is presumed White.
A light read that celebrates inclusion. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5420-2776-2
Page Count: 334
Publisher: Skyscape
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
A winning game of feelingsball.
A former football star, who never thought she’d play again after she came out as transgender, steps back onto the field for one last season to help her team win state.
Grace Woodhouse used to know where she belonged. She had Division I schools lined up to recruit her, but that was before what happened during playoffs last year, before she came out as trans, and before she quit the team. Although her single father and new friend group support her, Grace feels lost as her senior year begins. When one of her old teammates asks her to help him with his technique, she quickly realizes that he and the other captains are hoping for more than her expertise from the sidelines—they want her to rejoin the team. Grace can’t resist the opportunity to play again, but her return draws unwanted national attention that makes her question her future and who she wants to be. Flashback chapters written in the second-person present tense bring Grace’s past to life, which helps maintain momentum and makes her emotional journey feel more immersive. A heartfelt, goofy, and diverse cast of secondary characters surround Grace, who’s white, as she navigates self-doubt, friendship, complicated feelings for her ex-girlfriend, and what she wants to do after graduation. Overall, this coming-of-age sports narrative is honest, gentle, and hopeful.
A winning game of feelingsball. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781646145027
Page Count: 344
Publisher: Levine Querido
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
PERSPECTIVES
A gentle emphasis on hope and healing makes this a compassionate, restorative collection.
British Indian poet and playwright Gill’s first work for young adults is a tender, feminist examination of hard topics that honors quiet moments of healing and connection.
This poetry collection, organized around the four seasons, has sections that begin with a line of advice for each sign in the zodiac. Many of the poems focus on women’s bonds and identity: There are meditations on the women who have come before and those who will come after, emphasizing enduring mutual support. Romantic love, with partners of different genders, and self-love are explored next. The family section delves into toxic family ties and different parental reactions to coming out. There’s also a powerful meditation on colorism: “As a child, the aunties called my sister Coal. / Coal because of the colour of her skin, / not because of her ability to become fuel, / to glow so brightly despite them.” The next few sections—on hurting, protest, and body image—are empowering, inclusive reminders of one’s value. Topics like microaggressions, climate change, and the importance of voting are addressed: “You deserve a future filled with hope.” The concluding pieces about healing, friendship, and found family are soothing and beautiful. The concise poems, many of which contain abstract ruminations that feel relevant to many moments of joy and pain, combined with Gill’s black-and-white sketches, are accessible and welcoming.
A gentle emphasis on hope and healing makes this a compassionate, restorative collection. (author’s note) (Poetry. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2023
ISBN: 9781529083606
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
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