The novel’s pacing is occasionally uneven, but Lenny’s grief feels palpable and honest.
Lenny’s compulsive behaviors intensify as her father’s cancer prognosis declines.
A planetarium exhibit seen when she was 9 triggered Lenny’s obsession with catastrophic events that could end the world. She details them in a secret notebook, the pages of which begin each chapter of the novel. But instead of nanotechnology or sun storms, her father’s diagnosis is the event destroying her world. Lenny’s a problem-solver, though (as evidenced by her secret survival bunker underneath their house), and so she latches on to Dr. Ganesh’s suggestions about potential experimental drug trials. (Indian-American Dr. Ganesh, called "Dr. Hottie" by Lenny's sister, lends some diversity to the otherwise largely white cast.) Lenny also initiates increasingly inappropriate romantic overtures toward Dr. Ganesh, heedless of their 20-year age difference. Soon not even Lenny’s clever and wryly funny observations can hide the fact that she’s teetering on the edge of disaster, especially when she begins finding comfort in self-harming behaviors, compellingly portrayed. Unfortunately, the examination of Lenny’s emotional crisis and harmful coping mechanisms is often interrupted by subplots involving Lenny’s high school drama production and a local diner’s renovation. In fact, wrapping up the multiple storylines eventually necessitates some abrupt changes in Lenny. And while accepting her father’s impending death sparks a welcome return of her equilibrium, its suddenness may surprise many readers.
The novel’s pacing is occasionally uneven, but Lenny’s grief feels palpable and honest. (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: July 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-374-30425-6
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: April 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2017
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
A book that seamlessly brings readers along on a journey of impact and empowerment.
A manifesto for budding feminists.
At the core of this engaging novel are besties Chelsea, who is Irish- and Italian-American and into fashion and beauty, and Jasmine, who is African-American, loves the theater, and pushes back against bias around size (“I don’t need your fake compliments, your pity. I know I’m beautiful. Inside and out”). They and their sidekicks, half-Japanese/half-Lebanese Nadine and Puerto Rican Isaac, grow into first-class activists—simultaneously educating their peers and readers. The year gets off to a rocky start at their progressive, social justice–oriented New York City high school: Along with the usual angst many students experience, Jasmine’s father is terminally ill with cancer, and after things go badly in both their clubs, Jasmine and Chelsea form a women’s rights club which becomes the catalyst for their growth as they explore gender inequality and opportunities for change. This is an inspiring look at two strong-willed teens growing into even stronger young women ready to use their voices and take on the world, imploring budding feminists everywhere to “join the revolution.” The book offers a poetic balance of dialogue among the main characters, their peers, and the adults in their lives. The exquisite pacing, which intersperses everyday teen conflicts with weightier issues, demonstrates how teens long to be heard and taken seriously.
A book that seamlessly brings readers along on a journey of impact and empowerment. (resources for young activists, endnotes) (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Feb. 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0008-3
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2019
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