An insightful but uneven tale about athletic achievement.
In this YA novel, a farm boy in rural Vermont discovers his untapped physical prowess and becomes a decathlete.
Skeets Stearns lives in Hackett’s Falls, a small town in the Vermont wilderness near the Canadian border. The son of a farmer, he loves to run wild in the mountains but shies away from participating in high school sports because of his diminutive size and lack of self-confidence. But all that changes when a mysterious stranger arrives at his home: Bill MacColl, a friend of Skeet’s Uncle Jacques, who inexplicably leaves New York City to move into the family’s barn. Little does Skeets know, but Bill is haunted by the trauma of his service as a bomber pilot in Vietnam and saddled with regret over the woman he lost while fighting in the war. Bill was once a track star in the 1960s. He notices that Skeets is blessed with great natural ability and tutors him in track-and-field events. Skeets is amazed by his quick success and joins the track team with the intention of becoming a decathlete as well as winning the attention of the girl he adores from afar, Becky Winslow. He also seems to pine less for competitive glory than a kind of natural liberty, a longing lucidly depicted by Harris: “I guess ’cause I love to run and jump. It makes me feel free. You know, like a bird, or something. Like a mountain lion.” The author deftly captures the nuances of decathlon competition, a remarkable athletic challenge that courts speed and strategy more than simply brute strength. In addition, he intelligently depicts the complex relationship between talent and self-appraisal—Skeets would likely have never discovered his own potential without the encouragement of Bill. But the author’s writing can be a bit sentimental and melodramatic. At times, the book reads more like a motivational speech than a novel.
An insightful but uneven tale about athletic achievement.Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-57869-095-4
Page Count: 142
Publisher: Rootstock Publishing
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters.
When star hockey player Alec Barczewski’s estranged childhood friend, Dani Collins, moves to town, they end up in a mutually beneficial fake-dating relationship that reignites old feelings.
Following her parents’ divorce, Dani and her mom move in with Dani’s hockey legend grandfather in Southview, Minnesota, where she spent a month every summer as a child and where her friendship with Alec grew. Between visits, the two were pen pals, but they eventually fell out of touch. Despite some tensions over their loss of friendship, the high school seniors reconnect. Desperate to get off Harvard’s waitlist, Dani needs another extracurricular activity, while Alec—whose reputation took a hit when a photo of him holding a bong appeared on social media—is eager to improve his tarnished image for NHL scouts. The pair strike a deal: They’ll fake date, making Alec look like a stable guy whose academically gifted girlfriend is related to hockey royalty, and in exchange, he’ll get Dani a team manager position that will catch the eye of Harvard’s admissions officers. Eventually, complicated feelings about their past, stressful family relationships, and their brewing romance boil over. Romance fans will love the deliciously tension-filled scenes between Alec and Dani, who are believable friends with heavy demands weighing on them. They feel like real teenagers, and readers will enjoy rooting for them as the well-paced story unfolds. Main characters present white.
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9781665921268
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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