An inventive, exquisitely written story of family, love, and loss.
Grieving the untimely death of her mother, 14-year-old Mati keeps company with an enigmatic spirit only she can see.
“Chichi swore at Baba and he went mental.” That’s the short version, Mati tells us, before launching into the longer story of her mother’s death and its aftermath. Seeking respite, Baba, Mati’s father, who is a doctor in private practice, takes his grieving family from England to Zimbabwe, Mati’s parents’ homeland, for a long camping vacation. There, Chichi, Mati’s 17-year-old sister, continues swearing and rebelling, while Tana, Mati’s 10-year-old brother, seeks joy and adventure. Mati, a keen observer and deep thinker, is visited at random times by an opinionated, glamorous, gender-neutral being named Meticais who speaks only to her. Uncertain whether Meticais is a ghost or a figment of her imagination, Mati alternates between frustration and fascination with their conversations about the complexities of her immigrant family’s life prior to her mother’s death. Traveling by expedition truck and houseboat through the Zimbabwean bush to Victoria Falls, Mati and her family wrangle with the past and struggle to move forward. With emotionally rich, evocative prose from Mati’s astute point of view, Musariri deftly avoids melodrama to deliver a cast of wholly original characters facing tragedy with raw vulnerability and humor. A stunning, heartbreaking twist at the end will have readers turning back the pages to immediately reread this remarkable novel.
An inventive, exquisitely written story of family, love, and loss. (Fiction. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2023
ISBN: 9781324030959
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Norton Young Readers
Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
PERSPECTIVES
PERSPECTIVES
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
A clever and timely conversation on reclaiming identity and acknowledging one’s full worth.
Superman confronts racism and learns to accept himself with the help of new friends.
In this graphic-novel adaptation of the 1940s storyline entitled “The Clan of the Fiery Cross” from The Adventures of Superman radio show, readers are reintroduced to the hero who regularly saves the day but is unsure of himself and his origins. The story also focuses on Roberta Lee, a young Chinese girl. She and her family have just moved from Chinatown to Metropolis proper, and mixed feelings abound. Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane’s colleague from the Daily Planet, takes a larger role here, befriending his new neighbors, the Lees. An altercation following racial slurs directed at Roberta’s brother after he joins the local baseball team escalates into an act of terrorism by the Klan of the Fiery Kross. What starts off as a run-of-the-mill superhero story then becomes a nuanced and personal exploration of the immigrant experience and blatant and internalized racism. Other main characters are White, but Black police inspector William Henderson fights his own battles against prejudice. Clean lines, less-saturated coloring, and character designs reminiscent of vintage comics help set the tone of this period piece while the varied panel cuts and action scenes give it a more modern sensibility. Cantonese dialogue is indicated through red speech bubbles; alien speech is in green.
A clever and timely conversation on reclaiming identity and acknowledging one’s full worth. (author’s note, bibliography) (Graphic fiction. 13-adult)Pub Date: May 12, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-77950-421-0
Page Count: 240
Publisher: DC
Review Posted Online: Feb. 29, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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