A powerful story of overcoming expectations with a hopeful ending.
A love letter to Prince and 1983 Minnesota.
Sixteen-year-old Rosa’s days revolve around ballet, but her heart’s not in it. She yearns for funky beats, and Prince is her hero, but under the abuse of Master Geno and the Minnesota Dance Company, she still shines as a ballerina. Master Geno also happens to be her alcoholic father who abandoned her family after he couldn’t deal with the aftermath of an accident 18 months ago. The accident left Gloria, Rosa’s sister, mostly paralyzed and only able to say two words. Rosa feels responsible and is only going through the motions of living, until hope comes in the form of two things: a boy called Nikki and the opportunity to dance with Prince when he performs at a local nightclub. Nikki introduces her to sexy dance moves and the world that’s lived on the corner of her street but that she’d ignored until now: a world where boys who wear makeup get beat up, and queer men die from AIDS. The novel is vivid with historic details, making Minneapolis’ Block E neighborhood a character in itself and setting the atmosphere for a relatable main character to learn what her truth is and what it means to live it. Rosa is Mexican American, and Nikki is Puerto Rican; Spanish is seamlessly woven throughout, adding cultural texture to the story.
A powerful story of overcoming expectations with a hopeful ending. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 22, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-42613-5
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
A winning game of feelingsball.
A former football star, who never thought she’d play again after she came out as transgender, steps back onto the field for one last season to help her team win state.
Grace Woodhouse used to know where she belonged. She had Division I schools lined up to recruit her, but that was before what happened during playoffs last year, before she came out as trans, and before she quit the team. Although her single father and new friend group support her, Grace feels lost as her senior year begins. When one of her old teammates asks her to help him with his technique, she quickly realizes that he and the other captains are hoping for more than her expertise from the sidelines—they want her to rejoin the team. Grace can’t resist the opportunity to play again, but her return draws unwanted national attention that makes her question her future and who she wants to be. Flashback chapters written in the second-person present tense bring Grace’s past to life, which helps maintain momentum and makes her emotional journey feel more immersive. A heartfelt, goofy, and diverse cast of secondary characters surround Grace, who’s white, as she navigates self-doubt, friendship, complicated feelings for her ex-girlfriend, and what she wants to do after graduation. Overall, this coming-of-age sports narrative is honest, gentle, and hopeful.
A winning game of feelingsball. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781646145027
Page Count: 344
Publisher: Levine Querido
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
PERSPECTIVES
With a refreshingly original concept, this substantial fantasy, the first in a duology, is an undeniable page-turner
In Tiny Pretty Things co-author Clayton’s solo debut, beauty comes at a price.
On their joint 16th birthday, Camellia and her five sisters are sent out to restore beauty to Orléans, where everybody is born gray and ugly. They’ve been training for this their whole lives. As Belles, the sisters can use their magic to transform the citizens of Orléans from their original states. For the right price, Belles can grant any desired look. When Camellia secures the coveted spot of Her Majesty’s favorite, it seems as if her dreams have come true. As the most powerful, sought-out Belle, she is in charge of the royal family’s looks. However, the princess is insatiable in her quest for beauty and will do anything to get it—even if it means endangering the Belles and the kingdom—and Camellia may be the only one who can stop her. Not only that, but Camellia finds herself slowly uncovering the secrets of the Belles’ origin, and it’s not as pretty as she was taught. With wonderfully descriptive language, Clayton builds a grand and lavish world, carefully chipping away at the veneer to reveal its dark, sinister interior. In a world where anyone can change their skin color as often as they can change their hair color, race is fluid. Camellia is brown, and her sisters are various shades of brown and pale.
With a refreshingly original concept, this substantial fantasy, the first in a duology, is an undeniable page-turner (. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4847-2849-9
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Freeform/Disney
Review Posted Online: Nov. 12, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2017
SEEN & HEARD
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