A resilient protagonist carries this sometimes-profound tale of incarceration and survival.
An unjustly imprisoned Mexican immigrant to the United States fights to get back to her baby daughter in Frazier’s debut novel.
In 2003, teenager Juana Ivanov lands in a California prison, just three years after leaving Mexico. A U.S. court ruled that she left her abusive husband to die after he fell down the stairs; she fled the scene, resulting in a six-year prison sentence for voluntary manslaughter. Behind bars, she’s under constant threat as she struggles to grasp the workings of prison life, including the various factions of guards and gangs. She soon finds that befriending one inmate may earn her a new enemy. Her greatest worries, however, are for Katrina, her baby girl, who’s currently under her sister’s care in Mexico. If her sibling moves to Arizona as planned, Katrina’s bereaved paternal grandmother may file for custody, which could lead to a legal battle that undocumented Juana just might lose. As she struggles to survive her sentence, she finds that getting letters to her sister is difficult. She tries hard to stay below everyone’s radar, but there’s a good chance that she’ll eventually have to protect herself in a physical confrontation. Frazier masterfully limns Juana’s waning hope as she comes to terms with the fact the government that’s locked her away will likely kick her out of the country after she’s released. This story unfolds less than two years after the 9/11 attacks, when immigrants all over America suddenly found themselves under increased scrutiny. This makes for a persistently tense story, as sympathetic Juana has nowhere to turn for help, even as she sees the capacity for good in many of her fellow inmates. The author offers several unforgettable moments along the way, such as Juana catching glimpses of other people’s everyday lives as she rides to jail; at another point, a missing utensil from the prison dining area seems certain to return to the story as a shank. The ending is both narratively and emotionally satisfying.
A resilient protagonist carries this sometimes-profound tale of incarceration and survival.Pub Date: June 6, 2023
ISBN: 9781684632046
Page Count: 376
Publisher: SparkPress
Review Posted Online: Jan. 10, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters.
When star hockey player Alec Barczewski’s estranged childhood friend, Dani Collins, moves to town, they end up in a mutually beneficial fake-dating relationship that reignites old feelings.
Following her parents’ divorce, Dani and her mom move in with Dani’s hockey legend grandfather in Southview, Minnesota, where she spent a month every summer as a child and where her friendship with Alec grew. Between visits, the two were pen pals, but they eventually fell out of touch. Despite some tensions over their loss of friendship, the high school seniors reconnect. Desperate to get off Harvard’s waitlist, Dani needs another extracurricular activity, while Alec—whose reputation took a hit when a photo of him holding a bong appeared on social media—is eager to improve his tarnished image for NHL scouts. The pair strike a deal: They’ll fake date, making Alec look like a stable guy whose academically gifted girlfriend is related to hockey royalty, and in exchange, he’ll get Dani a team manager position that will catch the eye of Harvard’s admissions officers. Eventually, complicated feelings about their past, stressful family relationships, and their brewing romance boil over. Romance fans will love the deliciously tension-filled scenes between Alec and Dani, who are believable friends with heavy demands weighing on them. They feel like real teenagers, and readers will enjoy rooting for them as the well-paced story unfolds. Main characters present white.
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9781665921268
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
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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