A kosher coming-of-age story with a bissel of romance.
Yocheved “Yoyo” Gold is a good Orthodox Jewish girl.
She proudly does the family’s grocery shopping, the weekly Shabbos cooking, and even looks after her two younger brothers. When her closest friend, Esti, is suddenly put on a plane to attend boarding school in Las Vegas after kissing boys and breaking the laws of kashrut, Yoyo feels blindsided, depressed, and betrayed. She misses sharing absolutely everything with her best friend and only confidant. While she’s volunteering with Jewish Hunger Relief, Yoyo is paired for meal delivery with Mickey, who has a white dad and a Korean and white mom who’s a rabbi at a Reform synagogue. Through her, Yoyo is introduced to different ways of being Jewish. She soon decides to get the filter on her smartphone removed and turns to TikTok for comfort. As she attempts to navigate her sheltered upbringing on the outskirts of Philadelphia and the intoxicating world of social media, Yoyo confronts new situations and difficult decisions. Through her new friendship and a budding forbidden romance with Shua, her friend Chani’s older brother, Yoyo discovers more about herself and the role she wants to play within her family and the Orthodox Jewish community. The book’s well-written short chapters and fast-paced, first-person narrative will keep readers glued to the pages. Yoyo’s voice is compelling, and both she and her observant family are portrayed positively and respectfully. Blum’s fans won’t be disappointed.
A kosher coming-of-age story with a bissel of romance. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2024
ISBN: 9780593525852
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
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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