A thought-provoking work for readers interested in exploring conflict and its aftereffects.
A 16-year-old girl and her younger siblings seek safety in a world that’s falling apart.
With their lives destabilized by war and a devastating sickness spreading, Sabel, who has “wood-coloured” skin, sits down with her family to share a last meal before leaving home. But instead of the family leaving together, Appa and Amma send the kids—Sabel, Reya, Theri, Verlane, and S’Jin—off on their own. After a turbulent and disorienting trek, they find themselves at an abandoned school on an island in another country with children from other unnamed “falling-down” places. These young people are called sugar diamonds; their powerful, “high-life” parents have used their connections—and lots of ghee, the new currency—to get them to some sort of safety. Now they’re to bide their time until a ship arrives in 10 days. But with circumstances becoming increasingly suspicious, it’s hard for them not to question whether their caretakers have other motivations. Boyagoda’s young readers’ debut explores themes of hope, belief, and resiliency. As details about the unraveling state of society are revealed, the story raises questions about and comparisons to past and present conflicts. Sabel is at the center of the narrative, but readers also hear directly from supporting characters—such as red-haired, green-eyed Chynoweth, a bookseller’s daughter who’s coerced into overseeing the children, and black-skinned Jaka, the eldest grandson of the “war-making man everyone called The General”—who nevertheless feel underdeveloped.
A thought-provoking work for readers interested in exploring conflict and its aftereffects. (Dystopian. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2025
ISBN: 9781990598203
Page Count: 216
Publisher: Tradewind Books
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
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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