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IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF TRUE

Name: IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF TRUE
Author: Susan Kaplan Carlton
ISBN: 978-1-61620-860-8

by Susan Kaplan Carlton ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 9, 2019

Riveting.

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Girls in 1958 Atlanta don’t just have soft drinks before lunch: They drink Co-Cola floats.

And if they want to be popular and successful, they compete for pre-debutante titles like Maid of Cotton and Magnolia Queen. They certainly don’t admit to being Jewish. Ruth Robb—who’s arrived from New York after her father’s death—never mentions her religion to her boyfriend even though she goes to synagogue every Shabbos. Carlton (Love & Haight, 2012, etc.) loves her telling details a little too much. Characters say “Shalom, y’all” a few times too many, and readers may worry, on occasion, that the author is going to describe every single object in the Robbs’ home. But every character is memorable and complex, and the plot quickly becomes engrossing, though it leads up to an act of anti-Semitic violence that 21st-century readers may find much too timely. The characters are, unsurprisingly, largely white, and in one brief act of defiance, Ruth walks through the colored-only entrance at the movies. The climax involves larger acts of defiance, but it also requires a level of coincidence that may raise eyebrows. Still, the characters’ moral decisions are so complicated and so surprising that many people will be kept spellbound by even the tiniest detail.

Riveting. (Historical fiction. 14-19)

Pub Date: April 9, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-61620-860-8

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Algonquin

Review Posted Online: Jan. 7, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019

Categories:

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT HISTORICAL FICTION | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES

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POWERLESS

From the Powerless Trilogy series , Vol. 1

by Lauren Roberts ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 7, 2023

A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.

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The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.

Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.

A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)

Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023

ISBN: 9798987380406

Page Count: 538

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023

Categories:

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE

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CARAVAL

From the Caraval series , Vol. 1

by Stephanie Garber ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 31, 2017

Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations.

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Magic, mystery, and love intertwine and invite in this newest take on the “enchanted circus” trope.

Sisters raised by their abusive father, a governor of a colonial backwater in a world vaguely reminiscent of the late 18th century, Scarlett and Donatella each long for something more. Scarlett, olive-skinned, dark of hair and attitude, longs for Caraval, the fabled, magical circus helmed by the possibly evil Master Legend Santos, while blonde, sunny Tella finds comfort in drink and the embraces of various men. A slightly awkward start, with inconsistencies of attitude and setting, rapidly smooths out when they, along with handsome “golden-brown” sailor Julian, flee to Caraval on the eve of Scarlett’s arranged marriage. Tella disappears, and Scarlett must navigate a nighttime world of magic to find her. Caraval delights the senses: beautiful and scary, described in luscious prose, this is a show readers will wish they could enter. Dresses can be purchased for secrets or days of life; clocks can become doors; bridges move: this is an inventive and original circus, laced with an edge of horror. A double love story, one sensual romance and the other sisterly loyalty, anchors the plot, but the real star here is Caraval and its secrets.

Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations. (Fantasy. 14 & up)