An entry point for reluctant readers to explore the personal side of social justice issues.
After her rookie cop brother shoots an unarmed man in Queens, rising 10th grader Kiki investigates.
Aspiring Greek American artist Kiki Pantazis goes with her friends to a protest. There, she sees someone holding a photo of her brother, Stavros, labeled #MURDERER. She learns that he fatally shot Ray Brennan, an unarmed schizophrenic man who is cued as White, claiming that he was acting in self-defense. Her friends want Kiki to join the protest against police violence, but Kiki is reluctant out of loyalty to her family even though she knows that Stavros isn’t always a good guy. Kiki decides to find out for herself what happened, learning about the dangers often faced by mentally ill people and seeking out Ray’s parents for their side of the story. Meanwhile, she decides to work through her feelings by painting a mural on the wall of her mother’s bakery—of Stavros and Ray, with the identical bikes they both owned and loved—with help from other students in her summer art class. Kiki’s shift from only drawing in black and white to incorporating color into her art mirrors her growing recognition of real-world complexities. This novel in verse may appeal to teens interested in the social commentary and therapeutic aspects of art, though some may find the messaging heavy-handed and question the tastefulness of the mural’s content.
An entry point for reluctant readers to explore the personal side of social justice issues. (glossary) (Verse novel. 12-18)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-978596-06-1
Page Count: 200
Publisher: West 44 Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2022
A thrilling, climactic storm with an abrupt conclusion.
In this much-anticipated trilogy closer following 2019’s Children of Virtue and Vengeance, an enemy from a land across the sea carries out conquests to fulfill a prophecy that threatens the entire world.
The war between the maji and the crown of Orïsha ends when the Skulls, a tribe of masked, pale-skinned invaders, interrupt the pivotal battle, abducting Zélie, Tzain, Amari, Inan, and dozens of maji from their homeland. Caged on a ship and cut off from their magic, they have no choice but to set aside their bitterness and distrust to fight for their freedom. Ruthless and empowered by the volatile magic of bloodmetal weapons, the Skulls hunt for Zélie, “a girl with the blood of the sun,” at the command of their king, Baldyr, who prepares for his ascension to godhood during the Blood Moon. As much as she longs to return home, visions and an intertwined fate pull Zélie, along with her companions, to the land of New Gaīa in search of a girl with russet-brown skin and eyes that glitter like diamonds. United goals, fresh conflict, and impending doom provide invigorating gusts of momentum that push the story out of the doldrums of the previous book. On its own, this installment is a suspenseful and compelling expansion of the world, but as a series finale, the conflict seems disconnected from the first two books, and the resolution feels rushed.
A thrilling, climactic storm with an abrupt conclusion. (guide to clans) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: June 25, 2024
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
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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