Both engrossing and titillating; readers curious about drugs and readers who wouldn't dream of touching them will find...
An unapologetic contemporary imitation of anonymous faux-diary Go Ask Alice.
The book begins on the unnamed teen diarist's 16th birthday. Her writing is sometimes stream-of-consciousness, though it sometimes recounts events. It is never more eloquent than when she describes the experience of being high on the various drugs she tries. Readers wondering about the immediate effects of alcohol, marijuana, pills, cocaine and more will find their curiosity piqued. Descriptions like “It's like someone has shuffled all the cards in your head... you feel AMAZING and you're seeing these INCREDIBLE THINGS” evoke pleasure and a sense of discovery. Negative experiences like a DUI, broken promises to quit and watching a friend grow increasingly gaunt and non-functional serve as warnings. There is character development here: Readers see the diarist transform from a shy, insecure girl with few friends into part of an intimate social group. The relationship between the diarist and her older brother Cam is one of the most compelling, and readers see him struggling to balance his loyalty to his sister against his concern for her safety. The book's cautionary ending feels abrupt and ineffective, perhaps because scaring readers straight was never really the point.
Both engrossing and titillating; readers curious about drugs and readers who wouldn't dream of touching them will find satisfaction here. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: May 12, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4424-5187-2
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 20, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
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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