A solid, realistic reluctant reader title with an enticing video-game hook.
Online and IRL worlds present confusing obstacles in this story of a teenager trying to stay in control.
Ben Zheng feels invincible when he plays video games, especially a car-racing game called Grand Series. Not only is he good at them, they’re also an escape from an unhappy life filled with school bullies and constant reminders of his once-affluent life, before his gambling-addicted father abandoned the family. So when Ben drives his mom’s car without her permission, charges in-game purchases to his mom’s credit card, and secretly emails his father, he really thinks he can handle it. Inevitably, Ben’s bad decisions catch up with him. Will he get a second chance? Present-tense writing and frequent gaming action keep this stand-alone title in the SideStreets series racing along. Ben’s love of video games is a counterpoint to the bullying he encounters, both virtually and in person. Like many teenagers, Ben lacks the resources to navigate these complex issues. Although the narrative thoughtfully unpacks gender stereotypes and online harassment, less time is spent on delving into Ben’s racial identity. Ben and his mother are cued as Chinese Canadian; there are few physical descriptions of other characters.
A solid, realistic reluctant reader title with an enticing video-game hook. (Fiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4594-1455-6
Page Count: 160
Publisher: James Lorimer
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
Even with a few false steps, the relatively complex relationships and refreshing variety of teen voices will engage readers....
In loosely connected, overlapping stories, three African-American teen girls in Atlanta navigate relationships with family, community and the boys and men in their lives.
Santana, a fly girl well known for her proud attitude, the designer clothes she steals from department stores and her hustler boyfriend Pharaoh, insists that Pharaoh isn't cheating, but deep down, she isn't sure. Dynasty, mortified by her mentally ill aunt and continually harassed by Rufus, her former best friend, meets a dreamy boy who helps her out of a tight spot, but she wonders if he has ulterior motives. Patience, the devoted daughter of a hypocritical, high-profile Christian minister, finds herself in a secret romance with a notorious teen rapper. The girls narrate alternating chapters, and each girl changes substantially and believably over the course of her story. The author has a clear message for readers about the importance of language and education: Dynasty studies a dictionary religiously in hopes of attending an Ivy League college, and Santana, after learning a few life lessons, decides to expand her vocabulary and divorce herself from “hood grammar.” Less convincing is Santana's reversal on shoplifting, which comes only after she gains a legal means of acquiring expensive fashions.
Even with a few false steps, the relatively complex relationships and refreshing variety of teen voices will engage readers. (Urban fiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7582-6127-4
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Dafina/Kensington
Review Posted Online: July 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2011
From Australia, a series opener in the relatively new fallen-angel subgenre of paranormal romance. Mercy is a disembodied soul in limbo between Heaven and Earth, except when she awakens in a human body—in essence, “soul-jacking” them. Here, Mercy inhabits Carmen, who, Mercy slowly pieces together, is a shy, awkward teen with a show-stopping soprano on her way to a regional high-school concert. She's about to meet the family that will host her during her stay. From the moment Mercy meets the Daleys, her supernatural senses signal something is wrong, and she quickly learns that their teenage daughter, Lauren, also a soprano, was abducted several years before. Soon Mercy finds herself torn between helping Carmen find her voice and solving Lauren’s mystery with the missing girl's twin brother, Ryan. Interwoven throughout are visits to Mercy from otherworldly spirits, who warn her of danger in her dreams. This component feels hokey and distracts from the otherwise satisfyingly frenetic pace of the main mystery. Mercy's present-tense narration bounces back and forth between colloquial ("I chugalugged eight bourbon-spiked colas in one sitting") and overwrought ("sweat breaks out upon [Carmen's] skin, drenching the pristine white sheets on which we lie"). This thriller has a creepiness that keeps the pages turning, but it also manages to avoid graphic details, leaving much to readers' imaginations. In the end, it doesn't really elevate itself from the pack. (Paranormal thriller. 13-16)
Pub Date: May 17, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4231-4517-2
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: April 3, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
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