A spooky and inclusive Halloween grab bag.
Queer, racially diverse teens face the uncanny and macabre in this Halloween-themed anthology.
The introduction by editors Page and Brown points out the harm done by the lack of positive representation of queer people and people of color in the horror genre, something these narratives hope to help change. Each tale shares a common setting—Halloween during a blue moon—but beyond that there is considerable variety in subject matter and focus, including grief, romance in the face of imminent peril, and Halloween’s relationship to queerness. Writing styles and tones vary from modern gothic (in Vanessa Montalban’s “Welcome to the Hotel Paranoia”) to campy (in Sara Farizan’s “A Brief Intermission”) to melancholy (in Kosoko Jackson’s “Rocky Road With Caramel Drizzle”). Though the subtitle promises “terror,” most of the stories are milder takes on the genre, welcoming more sensitive readers but not likely to keep die-hard horror fans up at night. Some spine-chilling standouts include “Guested” by Rebecca Kim Wells, written in the second person, in which “you,” the protagonist, investigate a strange party where guests become “someone else for one night only,” and “Nine Stops” by Trang Thanh Tran, which follows a Vietnamese American girl who finds herself captivated by an unnerving viral video. The most successful entries are those that deeply explore the human experiences of conquering fear and facing darkness in both the wider world and oneself.
A spooky and inclusive Halloween grab bag. (contributor bios) (Horror anthology. 13-18)Pub Date: Aug. 29, 2023
ISBN: 9781250892980
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2023
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters.
When star hockey player Alec Barczewski’s estranged childhood friend, Dani Collins, moves to town, they end up in a mutually beneficial fake-dating relationship that reignites old feelings.
Following her parents’ divorce, Dani and her mom move in with Dani’s hockey legend grandfather in Southview, Minnesota, where she spent a month every summer as a child and where her friendship with Alec grew. Between visits, the two were pen pals, but they eventually fell out of touch. Despite some tensions over their loss of friendship, the high school seniors reconnect. Desperate to get off Harvard’s waitlist, Dani needs another extracurricular activity, while Alec—whose reputation took a hit when a photo of him holding a bong appeared on social media—is eager to improve his tarnished image for NHL scouts. The pair strike a deal: They’ll fake date, making Alec look like a stable guy whose academically gifted girlfriend is related to hockey royalty, and in exchange, he’ll get Dani a team manager position that will catch the eye of Harvard’s admissions officers. Eventually, complicated feelings about their past, stressful family relationships, and their brewing romance boil over. Romance fans will love the deliciously tension-filled scenes between Alec and Dani, who are believable friends with heavy demands weighing on them. They feel like real teenagers, and readers will enjoy rooting for them as the well-paced story unfolds. Main characters present white.
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9781665921268
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
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
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