This exhilarating tale boasts a dauntless young female at the helm.
Island castaways in the early-17th century fight for survival—and amongst themselves—in Carson-Williams’ debut YA historical novel.
Sixteen-year-old Alice Drinkard finally gets to share an adventure with her father. They’re leaving their London home for the New World, where his new business opportunity awaits. Alice is angry that her mother is joining them, as she’d tried marrying her daughter off to an older man despite Alice being smitten with someone else. There’s hostility between the two during the lengthy journey aboard the Sea Venture, but a hurricane changes everything. The vessel takes so much damage that the passengers are forced to abandon ship and take refuge on an uninhabited land called the Isle of Devils. There, the mostly male survivors argue over who’s in charge (a governor-to-be or the Sea Venture’s admiral?). This incites bad blood, violence, and even murder. “Land-lubbers” like Alice were happy to find land and not die somewhere in the ocean, but as men mutiny and advocate capital punishment, it’s clear that the battle to stay alive is far from over. Carson-Williams layers this taut, sharply written narrative with engaging conflicts and unrelenting tension. Alice, in addition to clashing with her mother (or “Her Highness,” as she scornfully calls her), gleans a dark family secret while onboard. At the same time, everyone seems to be at each other’s throats, both on the ship and on the island; even the manner of potential escape is a source of contention. Alice is a levelheaded, resourceful protagonist who devises a way to stop leaks (during an unabating hurricane) and catches on to one person’s sketchiness much sooner than anyone else. The author, who based this story on the real-life Sea Venture shipwreck, deftly weaves in historical tidbits—most notably regarding William Shakespeare, whose The Tempest was reputedly inspired by the fate of the Sea Venture.
This exhilarating tale boasts a dauntless young female at the helm.Pub Date: May 15, 2025
ISBN: 9798991860901
Page Count: 256
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: April 2, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
This astonishing book will generate much-needed discussion.
After 15-year-old Will sees his older brother, Shawn, gunned down on the streets, he sets out to do the expected: the rules dictate no crying, no snitching, and revenge.
Though the African-American teen has never held one, Will leaves his apartment with his brother’s gun tucked in his waistband. As he travels down on the elevator, the door opens on certain floors, and Will is confronted with a different figure from his past, each a victim of gun violence, each important in his life. They also force Will to face the questions he has about his plan. As each “ghost” speaks, Will realizes how much of his own story has been unknown to him and how intricately woven they are. Told in free-verse poems, this is a raw, powerful, and emotional depiction of urban violence. The structure of the novel heightens the tension, as each stop of the elevator brings a new challenge until the narrative arrives at its taut, ambiguous ending. There is considerable symbolism, including the 15 bullets in the gun and the way the elevator rules parallel street rules. Reynolds masterfully weaves in textured glimpses of the supporting characters. Throughout, readers get a vivid picture of Will and the people in his life, all trying to cope with the circumstances of their environment while expressing the love, uncertainty, and hope that all humans share.
This astonishing book will generate much-needed discussion. (Verse fiction. 12-adult)Pub Date: Oct. 17, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-3825-4
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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