Rose, poking along the bleak coast of Norfolk with her children Timothy and Jane, happens on an isolated cottage. Though it's primitive and filthy, the children talk Rose into letting it for a week. The three throw themselves into cleaning, with Rose welcoming the respite from her husband's heavy-handed authority. Mr. Gotobed, who comes to tidy the garden, turns fearful at the sight of an old handmade book. Menace multiplies: a surly tomcat, snares, a locked closet with preserved animal specimens, glowering villagers. It develops that owner Sepp Yaxley, who disappeared seven years ago, was a ``Cunning Man,'' murdered by the villagers when his magic seemed to fail. Thinking that Rose is taking his place, they threaten to kill her too, but Timothy's rifle and Yaxley's vengeful cat intervene. Rescued, Rose is left nearly as alienated by the coolly efficient Timothy—``demonic, tireless... damning souls to hell''—as by the frightened, vicious villagers. Though the book is cast as a conventional horror story, Westall deals with the larger issues of power, mercy, and the loss of compassion. Vacillating and insecure, Rose—whose point of view prevails—seems like a prime ninny, yielding decision to her children or her absent husband; still, she is the one left with an anguished query—``Is there no mercy anywhere?''— that's answered, ``Yes...in you yourself,'' by the kind vicar. And though there are loose connections here, the story suggests provocative questions, especially for those who note the stunning contrast between the cold intensity with which Timothy wounds his antagonists and Chas's ultimate understanding (in Westall's The Machine Gunners, 1976, Carnegie Medal) of the essential tragedy of shooting an enemy. A minor but entertaining effort by a major author. (Fiction. 11+)
Pub Date: April 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-590-45175-8
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1992
Raw, delicate, and deeply caring.
When Death-Cast doesn’t call, fate intertwines the lives of two boys, both haunted by their pasts and with futures they can’t escape.
In this third installment of the series that opened with 2017’s They Both Die at the End, Paz Dario waits every night for Death-Cast to call—as it should have for his father nearly 10 years ago, when Paz shot him to save his mother’s life. But the call never comes. Death-Cast killed Paz’s dreams of an acting career: No one will hire him now because the world sees him as a villain. When Paz tries (not for the first time) to put an end to his suffering, an unexpected encounter with Alano Rosa, the heir of Death-Cast, stops him. Both in a place of desperation, Alano and Paz sign a contract to live for Begin Days instead of waiting for their End Days. As suspenseful and emotionally wrenching as the previous titles in the series, this new installment explores heavy themes of abuse, mental health, self-harm, and suicide. Paz grapples with a recent diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. Silvera surrounds Alano and Paz with a web of complex relationships. Although the protagonists fall fast for one another and form a deep connection over Alano’s desire to support Paz, Silvera emphasizes the importance of professional help. Both Alano and Paz have Puerto Rican heritage. The cliffhanger ending promises more to come.
Raw, delicate, and deeply caring. (content warning, resources) (Speculative fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780063240858
Page Count: 720
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
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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