A treat from start to finish.
Teens navigate the twists and turns of a weeklong high-fashion fete in Paris.
Piper Woo Collins has a loving dad, won an international science fair, and was accepted to Columbia University, where she dreams of studying environmental science—if her scholarship is reinstated. Chapin Buckingham has a famous actor mom and a rock star dad; she was wait-listed by Columbia. Both girls need a win. Enter La Danse des Débutantes, “the teenage Met Gala,” and the answer to their problems. La Danse promises to fund Piper’s scholarship in return for her being their “Cinderella story,” while Chapin sees a chance to win Deb of the Year—which would please her critical mother and bring her out of the shadow of her perfect brother, Dalton. But nothing goes as expected: Chapin must room with Piper, whose natural charm draws the attention Chapin craves. Piper struggles to fit in and secure her scholarship, manage her feelings about living her late mother’s unfulfilled Paris dreams, and avoid falling for Dalton. This addictive coming-of-age debut with a splash of drama pays homage to the artistry of fashion while tackling the age-old question of whether to live for yourself or others. The portrayal of the girls feels uneven (Piper seems endlessly good while Chapin’s flaws are on full display), but both are likable characters who are easy to root for. Piper is described as “Asian American”; her surname may imply some non-Asian ancestry. Chapin reads white.
A treat from start to finish. (playlist) (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9781665972437
Page Count: 368
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
Black is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy.
Jude—broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness—has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. Human Jude (whose brown hair curls and whose skin color is never described) both hates and loves Madoc, whose murderous nature is true to his Faerie self and who in his way loves her. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. Black’s latest looks at nature and nurture and spins a tale of court intrigue, bloodshed, and a truly messed-up relationship that might be the saving of Jude and the titular prince, who, like Jude, has been shaped by the cruelties of others. Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life.
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-31027-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
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