A wise, gripping, and poignant tale of a teen finding her way.
A young woman struggles mightily when her best friend disappears during a massive earthquake in this debut set in a near-future San Francisco.
Celeste has been best friends with brilliant, determined Nicky, who’s gay, since they were 3-year-olds; the friends, who are cued white, are now high school seniors. The inseparable pair were born on the same day and have long shared a fascination with space—they even planned to study at MIT and work at NASA together. As the dust settles from the quake and Nicky remains missing, his mother and Celeste’s family begin to lose hope, but Celeste remains convinced he’s alive. Chapters labeled “Before” punctuate the intense third-person narration, highlighting Celeste’s memories of the events leading up to the Big One. In the present day, a heartrending story unfurls in chapters that indicate the number of days that have elapsed since the earthquake, expanding into a tale that’s as much about grief-stricken Celeste’s search for herself as her quest to locate Nicky. Along the way she meets, falls hard for, and is helped by a kind boy named Meo, who’s Mexican American and whose Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals immigration status forces him to live precariously. Celeste has Type 1 diabetes and her service dog, Ursa, a Newfoundland, is a vivid, endearing character. Celeste’s palpable anxiety and complex feelings about her future will be well understood by many teens.
A wise, gripping, and poignant tale of a teen finding her way. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: March 3, 2026
ISBN: 9798217004515
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2026
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
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