A memorable cast bolsters this captivating blend of teen drama and techno-thriller.
This debut YA novel finds a withdrawn teenage nerd mingling with the in crowd and potential cyberterrorists.
Young Matty Weber struggles with PTSD after watching his parents die in a car fire. He moves in with his grandmother in Southern California and settles into his socially awkward life. The 16-year-old is understandably taken aback when popular cheerleader Samantha Carter strikes up a conversation. She needs his computer prowess to find a deleted file—video footage of a sexual assault—likely still hiding in the cloud. But does she want to recover this footage or ensure that it’s gone for good? As Matty and his best friend, Gabriel Mason, struggle with this dilemma, their social status gets an unexpected boost. While Matty has long had trust issues, Gabriel willingly loses himself in the popular set. At the same time, cyberterrorist attacks in major cities worldwide shock everyone, and computer viruses secretly hit casinos around the globe. While Gabriel suggests this “cyber event” has ties to Samantha’s request, he is stunned when someone in his new clique winds up kidnapped. In this series opener, DiBarone intentionally keeps readers in the dark, delivering enigmatic details ranging from a mysterious figure on the day of the car fire to drones that apparently monitor the teens. The latter half pieces together most of the puzzle but leaves some bits for the sequel to presumably pick up. Still, this engrossing book introduces a bright, sympathetic hero whose PTSD triggers dreams of his parents as well as headaches and fainting spells. The supporting cast is equally intriguing. Gabriel’s reliability wavers, and it’s not easy to tell if Samantha is using Matty or harboring genuine feelings for him. The author’s straightforward prose smartly tackles such issues as bullying and low self-esteem. But the story is sometimes too on-the-nose; for example, Matty constantly engages in or starts discussions about trust. The ending boasts a surprising resolution considering that this is the first installment of a saga.
A memorable cast bolsters this captivating blend of teen drama and techno-thriller.Pub Date: March 10, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-66571-950-6
Page Count: 362
Publisher: Archway Publishing
Review Posted Online: March 31, 2022
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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