by Stephen Harris ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 2, 2022
An insightful but uneven tale about athletic achievement.
In this YA novel, a farm boy in rural Vermont discovers his untapped physical prowess and becomes a decathlete.
Skeets Stearns lives in Hackett’s Falls, a small town in the Vermont wilderness near the Canadian border. The son of a farmer, he loves to run wild in the mountains but shies away from participating in high school sports because of his diminutive size and lack of self-confidence. But all that changes when a mysterious stranger arrives at his home: Bill MacColl, a friend of Skeet’s Uncle Jacques, who inexplicably leaves New York City to move into the family’s barn. Little does Skeets know, but Bill is haunted by the trauma of his service as a bomber pilot in Vietnam and saddled with regret over the woman he lost while fighting in the war. Bill was once a track star in the 1960s. He notices that Skeets is blessed with great natural ability and tutors him in track-and-field events. Skeets is amazed by his quick success and joins the track team with the intention of becoming a decathlete as well as winning the attention of the girl he adores from afar, Becky Winslow. He also seems to pine less for competitive glory than a kind of natural liberty, a longing lucidly depicted by Harris: “I guess ’cause I love to run and jump. It makes me feel free. You know, like a bird, or something. Like a mountain lion.” The author deftly captures the nuances of decathlon competition, a remarkable athletic challenge that courts speed and strategy more than simply brute strength. In addition, he intelligently depicts the complex relationship between talent and self-appraisal—Skeets would likely have never discovered his own potential without the encouragement of Bill. But the author’s writing can be a bit sentimental and melodramatic. At times, the book reads more like a motivational speech than a novel.
An insightful but uneven tale about athletic achievement.Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-57869-095-4
Page Count: 142
Publisher: Rootstock Publishing
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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More by Nina Rycroft
BOOK REVIEW
by Nina Rycroft & Stephen Harris & illustrated by Nina Rycroft
by Laura Nowlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 6, 2024
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
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More by Laura Nowlin
BOOK REVIEW
by Laura Nowlin
by Daniel Aleman ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 4, 2021
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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