An intricately built, enticing world that sets the stage for some curious developments.
In Connelly’s YA thriller, teens explore a mysterious place in upstate New York.
Laura Gibbons is just shy of 15. In 1994, she moves with her mother and sister from Los Angeles to the town of Fordington, New York; Laura’s grandparents live in Fordington, and she has been there before, but the idea that this might be her new home is a little jarring. Nevertheless, with her Discman in tow, she goes about making friends. She meets Siobhan, a cool girl who skateboards and carries around a red umbrella. Then there’s Mel, who drives an old truck and likes Metallica. Fordington is not so bad—but it does have one odd feature, known as the Blaze, a section of town where a neighborhood was meant to be built, but it was never finished. A fire swept through the area, allegedly started by someone who “didn’t want that project to be completed.” Although steps have been taken to keep people out of the Blaze, the place is naturally enticing to curious teens like Laura and her new friends. They do some investigating, only to find a few surprising discoveries. The author meticulously builds Laura’s world; the text details everything from what Laura is listening to on her Discman to her mother’s career challenges. The 1994 setting is vividly rendered, including mentions of OJ Simpson’s flight in a white Bronco (Laura didn’t know if she “was more shocked to see the pursuit or no traffic on the 405”) and Woodstock ’94. The attention to detail is welcome, though it does cause the narrative to progress slowly (the action doesn’t really pick up until Laura, Mel, and Siobhan make their way to the Blaze about a third of the way through the book). Still, the characters are both likable and distinctive; by the time the teens do make their way into the unknown, readers will be eager to discover what they’ll find there.
An intricately built, enticing world that sets the stage for some curious developments.Pub Date: Feb. 17, 2026
ISBN: 9798275076455
Page Count: 293
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
A gripping tribute to resilience.
A girl with amnesia and a boy suspected of harming his girlfriend overcome adversity to find the answers they seek.
A 17-year-old girl wakes up in a ditch, disoriented and with no memory of who she is or what happened. Found by the Alton, Oregon, police, she is brought to the station. Soon after, Wayne Boone, a man claiming to be her father, shows up. He has photos of her on his phone and her high school ID card, with the name Mary Boone. Wayne convinces the police to release Mary into his custody. The more time Mary spends with Wayne, however, the weirder things get: He’s unaware of her food allergy, and as her memories start to return, they don’t conform with Wayne’s versions of her life. In the town of Washington City, across the Willamette River, Drew is in a bad place. His girlfriend, Lola, has disappeared, and Drew was the last person to see her. His adoptive dads and cousin are the only ones who support him; everyone else, including the sheriff, thinks he’s responsible for Lola’s disappearance. Intent on finding Lola, Drew finds help in an unlikely ally, Lola’s best friend, Autumn, who is the sheriff’s daughter. But will they find Lola in time? The two immersive storylines bring to life the trials and frustrations each main character faces in this debut, which is a thrilling delight right up to the unexpected and bittersweet conclusion. Most characters are cued white; one of Drew’s dads is Guatemalan.
A gripping tribute to resilience. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Dec. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781728270111
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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