An entertaining romance that explores deeper themes of trust and expectations.
A week after graduating from high school, Quinn Berkowitz is unsure what to do with her life.
Quinn’s Jewish family runs a wedding planning business in Seattle called Borrowed + Blue, and they assume that, after earning a business degree in college, she will join them. For years, Quinn has gone along with this, partly because she wonders whether leaving the business would mean losing her connection to her parents and her sister, Asher, who sometimes feel more like colleagues than family. But her future career isn’t the only thing Quinn is confused about. Working at weddings all summer means that she will be in constant contact with Tarek Mansour, the Egyptian American son of her parents’ favorite caterers. Before he left for college, Quinn sent Tarek an email confessing that she had a crush on him—an email he never answered. Although Quinn tells herself that they were never meant to be—Tarek is a hopeless romantic whereas she doesn’t believe in love—her feelings won’t go away. As the summer progresses, Quinn must make some tough choices about her future, her family, and a boy who might very well be her first love. Quinn’s narratorial voice is engaging and clever, deftly balancing humor and sincerity, and her OCD is woven naturally into a story with characters who are layered enough to keep readers interested.
An entertaining romance that explores deeper themes of trust and expectations. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: June 8, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-4027-2
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
A magical story with a classic Disney feel exploring love, friendship, and leading amid hardship.
Shortly before the new queen’s coronation, a monster wreaks havoc, forcing a young fairy princess to intervene at her own risk.
In Pixie Hollow, the Never Fairies of Spring, Summer, and Autumn work to create seasons for the humans on the Mainland, while the fairies of Winter remain apart in the Winter Woods. Clarion, a governing-talent fairy who’s soon to take over as queen of Pixie Hollow, often looks wonderingly at the Winter Woods. But crossing the border is against the rules set forth by her mentor, Queen Elvina. When a monster from Winter breaks free and enters Spring, Clarion bristles at Elvina’s dismissal. Determined to be involved, she secretly travels to Winter, meets with Milori, the Warden of the Winter Woods, and learns that the land is nothing like what she’s heard, making her wonder what else the queen has been untruthful about. Together Milori and Clarion work to discover the secrets of Pixie Hollow, which may save them—or lead to death. Set in a magical place of flowers and pixie dust, this story considers the control we have over the roles we’re assigned. Clarion is a beautifully complex character—strong yet insecure, lovable due to her willingness to prioritize relationships over rules. Themes of fear, forbidden love, and good vs. evil are present in this fast-paced, engaging tale. Main characters are cued white.
A magical story with a classic Disney feel exploring love, friendship, and leading amid hardship. (Fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781368098458
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Disney Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
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
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