A wryly humorous and brightly creative representation of intense anxiety.
A new friend gives an anxious young man plenty of opportunities to step outside his comfort zone.
Gale is chronically embarrassed about many aspects of himself, including his copious perspiration, lack of self-confidence, and fondness for drawing wizards. To cope, he follows lifestyle advice from the Simply Pear app, though its messages don’t actually make him feel any less anxious. Neither do the multitude of Simply Pear canned drinks he consumes or the dancing, talking pears populating every square inch of his brain space. Enter adorable walking catastrophe Aiden, Gale’s new roommate, who seems impervious to shame. Aiden enlists Gale’s help with his job hunt. He also introduces Gale to the members of his band, Astral Panic; they’re preparing for their “first show with an audience.” The invitation to draw the band a poster may pull Gale further out of his shell—if he can survive the “cycle of pain” brought about by his spiral of self-consciousness and panic attacks. The book’s psychedelic, mostly pink-and-green color scheme suits the retro art style and expressive, cartoonish characters (who seem to be college students). Kaleidoscopic details add plenty of interest, helping readers visualize Gale’s anxious, nonstop inner monologue. Readers, many of whom will identify with Gale’s struggles, will easily forgive the fact that the story is more about feelings and aesthetics than plot. Gale has light skin and jet-black hair, Aiden presents white, and two band members are brown-skinned.
A wryly humorous and brightly creative representation of intense anxiety. (Graphic fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: today
ISBN: 9781838742089
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Flying Eye Books
Review Posted Online: July 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 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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