A fun suspense tale with an uneven second act.
In this YA mystery sequel, a 15-year-old girl juggles drivers ed, crushes, and a gang war.
All summer, Violet “V” Jiménez has dreaded the first day of her sophomore year at Sierra High School. Exactly one year ago, the Southern California teen’s best friend, Emma Moreno, was kidnapped in a case of mistaken identity. V saved both Emma and the intended victim, Brylee Rossi—as well as 34 other girls. But Emma and Brylee are now best friends, and V feels left out. Meanwhile, V’s mother, an English teacher at Sierra, is in remission from breast cancer, another scarring life event from V’s freshman year. V thinks she’s fully dealt with it all, but the school’s faculty, including counselor Dr. Sykes, just won’t leave her alone (“I didn’t feel like talking about my feelings”). All V wants is to get her driver’s permit, and thanks to lessons with the kind but scatterbrained Dan Carter, she’ll be ready when she hits her half-birthday in December. But when Brylee’s mother’s diamond necklace is stolen, and nice Mr. Carter is clearly up to something rotten, it’s up to V to solve the two cases—which may be more intertwined than they first appear. Is Brylee’s boyfriend, Santi, behind it all? Or is it Santi’s brother, leader of the dangerous street gang the Pico 7? And does V really have time for Zack “Crash” Collins, her cute classmate and drivers ed pal, who likes her as more than a friend? This second book in Laine’s Chronicles of V series picks up after the first installment left off, and readers will quickly get caught up thanks to the recapping of previous events throughout. Like V’s idol, teen TV detective Veronica Mars, the protagonist is witty and intelligent, though at times the character seems younger than 15. But the mystery plot makes the story crackle as V and her friends fearlessly seek answers with the help of a local police detective, all while procuring a puppy for V’s beloved younger brother, Scotty; having sleepovers; and buying candy at a convenience store. Unfortunately, several chapters stray from the mystery—chronicling V’s Christmas with her family along with a tale about the creation of stars—which considerably slows the pacing and flow of the story.
A fun suspense tale with an uneven second act.Pub Date: Feb. 21, 2023
ISBN: 9781955674157
Page Count: 262
Publisher: Skye Blue Press
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression.
After surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself.
Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis, a white girl living on the margins, thinks she has little reason to live: her father drowned himself; her bereft and abusive mother kicked her out; her best friend, Ellis, is nearly brain dead after cutting too deeply; and she's gone through unspeakable experiences living on the street. After spending time in treatment with other young women like her—who cut, burn, poke, and otherwise hurt themselves—Charlie is released and takes a bus from the Twin Cities to Tucson to be closer to Mikey, a boy she "like-likes" but who had pined for Ellis instead. But things don't go as planned in the Arizona desert, because sweet Mikey just wants to be friends. Feeling rejected, Charlie, an artist, is drawn into a destructive new relationship with her sexy older co-worker, a "semifamous" local musician who's obviously a junkie alcoholic. Through intense, diarylike chapters chronicling Charlie's journey, the author captures the brutal and heartbreaking way "girls who write their pain on their bodies" scar and mar themselves, either succumbing or surviving. Like most issue books, this is not an easy read, but it's poignant and transcendent as Charlie breaks more and more before piecing herself back together.
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression. (author’s note) (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-101-93471-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
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