A fast-paced sports novel for reluctant readers that sacrifices depth for action.
Tae attempts to fit in at a new school and on a new soccer team.
When Tae’s family moves, not only does he have to adjust to prestigious Westgate High, but he and his brother, both adopted from Korea by their White American parents, stick out in their ethnically homogeneous neighborhood. Previously the team star, Tae pushes through excruciating varsity tryouts, hazing, racist bullying, and an intense, self-inflicted personal training regimen. Tae’s struggle to become a Westgate Warrior mirrors his need to fit in as a racial minority in a mostly White school. As the annual hazing ritual turns dangerous, Tae must choose between staying silent to protect the team and telling the truth. The terse, snappy narration from Tae’s point of view is accessible and immersive. The frenetic soccer games will be best appreciated by fans who understand the sport’s positions, strategy, and lingo. Tae’s perspective enhances the straightforward depiction of hazing as he analyzes his own sense of self-worth as it is tied to membership in a team amid bullying and familial and social pressures. The quick pace keeps the action going for plot-oriented readers but prevents deeper relationship development. Similarly, subjects such as developing new friendships, adoption and family dynamics, racism and belonging, and others have potential but could have been handled with more complexity.
A fast-paced sports novel for reluctant readers that sacrifices depth for action. (Verse novel. 12-18)Pub Date: June 14, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-9785-9599-6
Page Count: 200
Publisher: West 44 Books
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Rom-com fans will love this joyride through Philadelphia.
An entertaining romp reminiscent of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
High school senior Grace Barbour needs a break from school, and she’s pretty sure her best friends, Isabel Cruz and Everett Adler, do too. The student body president engages in some subterfuge (and begging) to get the pair to skip school and hit the road for the best day ever. Grace’s motives aren’t entirely altruistic—she has growing feelings for Everett, who’s Isa’s ex. She needs them to make up ASAP so she and Everett can move forward with their relationship. Isa, meanwhile, is keeping a secret from Grace—she and Grace’s brother, James, have feelings for one another (and James is hot on the trio’s trail). An unforgettable day unfolds, as the longtime friends, who are just a month from graduation, deal with their entangled bonds, reveal secrets, explore the city, and eat cheesesteaks. Despite a slightly slow start, Walther’s latest ramps up to become a lively and enjoyable read. The Philadelphia setting shines as the friends reminisce about their childhoods growing up just outside the city and the special bond their families share. Mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and grief, are dealt with sympathetically between capers. The multifaceted characters effectively deal with their problems through satisfying conversations. Isa is Latine, Everett is Jewish and cued white, and Grace, who’s bisexual, also presents white.
Rom-com fans will love this joyride through Philadelphia. (Romance. 13-18)Pub Date: March 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780593813959
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Delacorte Romance
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A high-concept premise that falls short in its execution.
A teenage girl finds herself alone after everyone else in her town mysteriously disappears, leaving her scrambling to figure out how to find them all.
One late summer day, everybody in July Fielding’s town disappears. She is left to piece together what happened, following a series of cryptic signs she finds around town urging her to “GET THEM BACK.” The narrative moves back and forth between July’s present and the events of the summer before, when her relationship with her best friend, cross-country team co-captain Sydney, starts to fracture due to a combination of jealousy over July’s new relationship with a cute boy called Sam and sweet up-and-coming freshman Ella’s threatening to overtake Syd’s status as star of the track team. The team members participate in a ritual in which they jump off a cliff into the rocky waters below at the end of their Friday practice runs. Though Ella is reluctant, Syd pressures her to jump. Short, frenetically paced sections move the story along quickly, and there is much foreshadowing pointing to something terrible that occurred at the end of that summer, which may be the key to July’s current predicament, but there is much misdirection too. Ultimately this is a story without enough setup to make the turn the book takes in the end feel fully developed or earned. All characters read white.
A high-concept premise that falls short in its execution. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2023
ISBN: 9780593327173
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
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