A stirring emotional journey.
In her sophomore novel, Tian explores life after loss for high schooler Stella Chen.
Moving from rural Illinois to San Diego, California, and entering a new school midway through senior year feels less than ideal to Stella, who already navigated emigrating to the U.S. from Xi’an, China, when she was in elementary school. But Baba thinks change is what the family needs. It’s been eight months since Stella’s older brother, Sam, died in his dorm room at Harvard, under circumstances her parents won’t reveal, and nothing’s been the same since. The promise of going off to college should be something to be excited about, but it fills Stella with fear. What if the pressure and the silencing of her emotional struggles prove to be too much? When Stella’s parents must unexpectedly travel to China to help family members, Stella’s forced to tour California colleges with the one person who might just get her to open up: her estranged childhood friend, Alan Zhao. Stella’s intimate narrative is a deeply moving story of secrets, grief, belonging, and family bonds. Her inner monologue includes chapters in which she directly addresses Sam, heartbreakingly unveiling memories from their childhood, changing relationship, last moments together, and more. Tian explores diasporic identities and family dynamics, particularly the experiences of satellite babies and how spending early childhood separated from one’s parents can shape relationships. The conclusion is satisfying and comforting without tying everything up too neatly.
A stirring emotional journey. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9780063086074
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
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
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
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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