Readers struggling with self-esteem, loneliness, and isolation will find a kindred spirit in Caroline; others will find...
An anxious, lonely introvert discovers that the most fulfilling friendships can’t be planned.
Caroline Sands has always been intensely socially awkward; she’s never been able to cultivate healthy long-term friendships. Several years ago, Caroline and her mother relocated from New York to Arizona, a move the white girl thought would solve her problems. She’d finally make friends and fit in. Sadly, the new high school graduate is as lonely as ever. To appease her worried, overbearing mother, Caroline created a vibrant social life for herself, borrowing characters from the late-1990s TV drama Felicity. In reality, Caroline spends hours snuggled up to her computer watching its reruns. Now that Caroline herself is off to college, she’s determined to become the person she knows she can be—college is her chance to “get it right.” Her plan? Befriend her longtime unrequited love, popular white boy Liam (like Felicity, she chose her college based on the decision of her crush), and his friends will be hers. Predictably, it doesn’t work out that way. Caroline’s melancholic voice narrates the ups and downs of a rarely easy life transition that can be all the more difficult for an anxious introvert like her. While her “coping mechanism” (as her therapist calls it) is comical, the narrative takes Caroline’s anxiety seriously and treats her respectfully.
Readers struggling with self-esteem, loneliness, and isolation will find a kindred spirit in Caroline; others will find empathy for that classmate who sits alone at lunch. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: March 20, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4814-6425-3
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2018
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
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
