A necessarily grim story that concludes with hope.
A Chinese American teen’s regimented life disintegrates after a friend dies by suicide.
Nina Yeung grew up in Davis, California, under the weight of her strict parents’ expectations and in the shadow of her high-achieving older sister, Carmen. Her friendship with white-presenting classmate Ethan Travvers began at the start of their senior year, when she requested his help designing a shirt for the school orchestra. Their bond was as unexpected as it was exciting: Ethan was handsome and artistic, and their friendship flirted with the possibility of something more—until Ethan pulled away. His sudden death over winter break devastates Nina, who loses her focus on everything except making sense of the loss. Her structured world is further shattered when a nearly unrecognizable Carmen comes home from college. Nina isn’t sure how to approach this unkempt, erratically behaving version of her sister, but she knows something must be wrong. Debut author Chan explores mental health, substance abuse, and overwhelming familial pressure as she addresses the importance of paying attention to signs of a teen in crisis. The plot moves quickly, and Nina’s emotionally driven narration effectively and realistically captures the experience of being frozen in grief while the world moves on. However, the narrative can feel unrelentingly taxing as it repeatedly visits Nina’s feelings of resentment and frustration. Readers who persevere will find a grounded resolution that portrays the start of the healing process.
A necessarily grim story that concludes with hope. (content warning, resources) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 17, 2025
ISBN: 9781641295178
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Soho Teen
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2025
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
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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