A tender story about moving through hurt and embracing uncertainty.
A story about taking accountability for mistakes and showing up for loved ones, oneself included.
After coming out as transgender and surviving a family move to Ohio, Linus is looking forward to an eighth grade year spent out of the spotlight. He soon meets classmates Etta and Marigold, former best friends who are fighting over who will (or won’t) apply to Nova, a prestigious alternative high school. Etta’s long thought of Nova as her thing, and she’s upset that Marigold (who’s “got everything”) is now planning to apply as well. New kid Linus becomes the unknowing target of a bet: If he’s elected student council president, Marigold won’t apply to Nova after all. Linus doesn’t have any knowledge of or interest in any of this, but with encouragement from Etta and his crush, Marigold, he finds himself pulled along. The quickly paced, first-person chapters alternate between Linus’ and Etta’s perspectives, showcasing the authentic friendship that blossoms between the two and the guilt that builds as Etta’s plan (still unknown to Linus) unfolds—and is ultimately revealed. On top of that, Linus is learning to stand up for himself with his grandmother (who can’t seem to get his pronouns right) and his parents (who can’t seem to stick up for him). The characters’ sweet demeanors, lively dialogue, and ever-changing relationships will keep readers rooting for them until the book’s final pages. Central characters are cued white.
A tender story about moving through hurt and embracing uncertainty. (Fiction. 9-14)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9781250897466
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
Deftly written and informative; a call for vigilance and equality.
An examination of the history of Chinese American experiences.
Blackburn opens with a note to readers about growing up feeling invisible as a multicultural, biracial Chinese American. She notes the tremendous diversity of Chinese American history and writes that this book is a starting point for learning more. The evenly paced narrative starts with the earliest recorded arrival of the Chinese in America in 1834. A teenage girl, whose real name is unknown, arrived in New York Harbor with the Carnes brothers, merchants who imported Chinese goods and put her on display “like an animal in a circus.” The author then examines shifting laws, U.S. and global political and economic climates, and changing societal attitudes. The book introduces the highlighted people—including Yee Ah Tye, Wong Kim Ark, Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, and Vincent Chen—in relation to lawsuits or other transformative events; they also stand as examples for explaining concepts such as racial hierarchy and the model minority myth. Maps, photos, and documents are interspersed throughout. Chapters close with questions that encourage readers to think critically about systems of oppression, actively engage with the material, and draw connections to their own lives. Although the book covers a wide span of history, from the Gold Rush to the rise in anti-Asian hate during the Covid-19 pandemic, it thoroughly explains the various events. Blackburn doesn’t shy away from describing terrible setbacks, but she balances them with examples of solidarity and progress.
Deftly written and informative; a call for vigilance and equality. (resources, bibliography, image credits) (Nonfiction. 10-14)Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9780593567630
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
A retro yet timeless story of family and identity.
Martín brings his successful Mexikid Stories online comic series to print.
Living in California’s Central Coast as a first-generation Mexican American, Pedro (or the “American-style” Peter) struggles to find his place. As an American kid growing up in the 1970s, he loves Star Wars and Happy Days but dislikes the way his five oldest siblings, who were born in Mexico, make him feel less Mexican just because he and the three other younger siblings were born after his parents immigrated to the U.S. to work picking strawberries. A family trip to Jalisco to bring their abuelito back to California to live with them presents Pedro with an opportunity to get in touch with his roots and learn more about the places his family calls home. Told from Pedro’s perspective, the panels read as a stream-of-consciousness travelogue as he regales readers with his adventures from the road. Along the way, Pedro has fresh encounters with Mexican culture and experiences some unexpected side quests. Full of humor, heart, and a decent amount of gross-out moments, Martín’s coming-of-age memoir hits all the right notes. Though the family’s travels took place decades ago, the struggles with establishing identity, especially as a child of immigrants whose identity straddles two cultures, feel as current as ever. The vibrant, action-packed panels offer plentiful details for readers to pore over, from scenes of crowded family chaos to the sights of Mexico.
A retro yet timeless story of family and identity. (family photos, author’s note) (Graphic memoir. 9-14)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2023
ISBN: 9780593462287
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
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