Out to win the annual essay prize (subject: conservation), Andy devises three protein-rich recipes with unusual ingredients. Designed to elicit the sort of ingenuity the prize-donor likes to remember in his late fifth-grade son (lost in a tumble from a local Iowa silo), this year's topic at first provokes yawns. But when rival Cousin Jack enters, Andy is galvanized into action. Writing to an expert for ideas, he soon produces brownies flecked with crunchy beetles, crisp fried worms, and grub-laced egg salad, each of which is tried on unsuspecting friends and relatives, though Andy himself (the ultimate picky eater) abstains. Jack and Andy tie as winners, and Andy courageously faces the consequences: he consumes his inventions for the benefit of the local papers photographer—and to the satisfaction of the previous unwitting samplers. Reminiscent of Rockwell's every-popular How to Eat Fried Worms, this almost-as-funny story is a bit less frivolous. With its realistically-drawn extended farm family and classroom rivalries and friendships, it is more than humorous. Andy's aversion to prickly Aunt Wanda's cooking (featuring Okra Surprise) and his friendship with Sam, whose family has opened a soul-food restaurant that serves delicious food, suggest thoughtful consideration of what people find edible and why. And the final scene where the three boys share Andy's concoctions is not only hilarious but also one of those moments of truth where old antagonists see each other with new appreciation. This should be popular.
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1987
ISBN: 1417695315
Page Count: 134
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1987
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
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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