Julia Summerwaite, 80, flies east from Nebraska to take her two grandchildren to the American Museum of Natural History, and to tell them about the most significant event in her life, when—during her 12th summer in the 1880's—her brother discovered, on the family farm, the bones of the "brontosaurus" now on display in the museum. And so she does, during a leisurely tour of displays that will be familiar to many readers, as Ellie, 12, listens with rapt attention and much younger Steven runs too free to please the guards. It's a sad tale—brother Daniel was the person Julia most loved in her life, and he did not survive to see his find safely in the hands of the eminent scientist to whom he had written about it; the tale is also suspenseful, since we know almost from the beginning when Daniel's death occurred, but not how. Keeping the dinosaur a secret, especially from another, villainous, collector, provides much of the action; ultimately, the role that collector plays turns out to be different, and even more dramatic, than expected. Though the story of finding the bones and getting them to the museum is sure to interest readers, the carefully wrought characters and their beautifully realized Nebraska setting are the greatest strengths here. Daniel has quietly decided to stay on the struggling farm, turning down a tempting offer of work with paleontologists who recognize his gift for observations; his loyalty to his parents and his affection for his younger sister—and hers for him—are even more poignant as recalled almost 70 years later. An absorbing story.
Pub Date: May 10, 1989
ISBN: 0064403092
Page Count: 148
Publisher: Harper & Row
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1989
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression.
After surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself.
Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis, a white girl living on the margins, thinks she has little reason to live: her father drowned himself; her bereft and abusive mother kicked her out; her best friend, Ellis, is nearly brain dead after cutting too deeply; and she's gone through unspeakable experiences living on the street. After spending time in treatment with other young women like her—who cut, burn, poke, and otherwise hurt themselves—Charlie is released and takes a bus from the Twin Cities to Tucson to be closer to Mikey, a boy she "like-likes" but who had pined for Ellis instead. But things don't go as planned in the Arizona desert, because sweet Mikey just wants to be friends. Feeling rejected, Charlie, an artist, is drawn into a destructive new relationship with her sexy older co-worker, a "semifamous" local musician who's obviously a junkie alcoholic. Through intense, diarylike chapters chronicling Charlie's journey, the author captures the brutal and heartbreaking way "girls who write their pain on their bodies" scar and mar themselves, either succumbing or surviving. Like most issue books, this is not an easy read, but it's poignant and transcendent as Charlie breaks more and more before piecing herself back together.
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression. (author’s note) (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-101-93471-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
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