A deeply resonant story of identity and growing up.
An 18-year-old gets a job supporting a touring pop star and falls for a member of the band.
Luisa “Lou” Samalea has always lived in El Viajero, Texas, where she works in her Cuban American family’s bakery, hangs out with her best friend, and does her best to deal with tension between her divorced parents. When her uncle Arty, who’s part of the road crew for famous singer Zaiya and her entourage of musicians and dancers, suggests she join him, Lou jumps at the chance to travel the world and save money for college. She’ll be in charge of laundry and dry cleaning for nearly 100 people. The life of a crew member turns out to be messy as well as glamorous, but Lou doesn’t mind. Then she falls hard for a band member: guitar prodigy Chris, who presents white. Being with Chris is exhilarating, and Lou feels like she’s finally the “New Lou” she wants to be—until Chris’ wild antics start to get her into trouble, and she must decide what she wants her life to look like and what kind of person she wants to be, in a story arc that touches on important themes. Chock-full of vibrant characters and well-drawn backstage tour details, this story includes a number of subplots that are tied up very quickly at the end, but the portrayals of infatuation and a toxic relationship are exemplary.
A deeply resonant story of identity and growing up. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781536230116
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Walker US/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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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