Readable—and relatable for many.
Patterned after Go Ask Alice, this faux diary chronicles a teen’s descent into drug addiction and becoming a victim of abuse.
Still grieving her mother’s sudden death, shipped off to a prestigious boarding school by her new stepmother, and finding herself completely alone, Bailey is vulnerable. She’s also a chemistry whiz, and when the most popular students ask her to participate in the school’s exclusive Science Club, why would she refuse? The title of this book plays on the title of the popular TV show Breaking Bad, as Science Club is not an innocuous extracurricular but a front for a secret meth lab. Of course, Bailey knows meth is harmful, but classmate Warren convinces her that they’ll make it safe for addicts who are going to use anyway. She soon writes of the pressures to balance schoolwork with her meth production quota. Not wanting to fail Warren, who becomes her first love, she accepts his Adderall and Percocets to get through long days. And she can stop them anytime, unlike meth addicts—or can she? While this series can veer toward the sensational, the message of this “diary” is less about anti-drug propaganda and more about how young women can be victimized. Warren’s manipulation of Bailey, such as gaslighting her when she questions the meth operation, is spot-on. The book assumes a white default.
Readable—and relatable for many. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 4, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3308-3
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
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
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
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