by Walter Dean Myers ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 25, 1990
Mouse is a nice, bright 14-year-old—but not quite sure how he feels about his dad turning up after an absence of eight years to date his mom and to make a clumsy effort to be friends with him. Mouse is also interested in gifts—but not enough to threaten his long-term friendship with buddy Styx, who is as tall as Mouse is short. During an eventful Harlem summer, the two are involved in a treasure hunt: the grandfather of one of the girls in their group knows another old codger who knows a kid in Queens whose grandmother once showed him where a gangster hid his loot. There really is money hidden—not as much as they imagined, but, still, found amid some satisfactory TV publicity; more important, Mouse weathers his first romance and reaffirms his friendship with Styx. Introducing each chapter with a dozen or so lines of rap, Myers uses its musical devices to splendid advantage in Mouse's narrative. Puns, rhythms, and glancing humore enrich a text that would have intrigued James Joyce with its inspired use of sound and allusion. Meanwhile, Myers paints a memorable portrait of a good kid who still likes to confide in his mother but who is finding that he may want to keep the sex life he's about to have private—and whose adventures can be as funny (and as fundamentally innocent) as Woody Allen trying to rob a bank. A beautifully written, thoroughly entertaining caper; an impressive addition to Myers' already impressive Oeuvre.
Pub Date: April 25, 1990
ISBN: 0064403564
Page Count: 196
Publisher: Harper & Row
Review Posted Online: Oct. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1990
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by Walter Dean Myers ; illustrated by Floyd Cooper
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by Walter Dean Myers ; adapted by Guy A. Sims ; illustrated by Dawud Anyabwile
by Laura Nowlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 6, 2024
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
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by Laura Nowlin
by Laura Nowlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2013
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
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