Harrowing and intriguing.
Isolated with her abusive, domineering father, 15-year-old Didi learns to survive in a reality where even a simple chess game spells danger.
On the outskirts of town, Didi lives alone with her father. No trace of her long-gone mom remains except for a collection of Nancy Mitford novels. Running drills around the house is an early-morning ritual, often under the harsh command of her father. “Be quick, be fast, be strong!” becomes her mantra. At the age of 5, Didi studies the game of chess, with her father’s intentions clear: to build her skills up to the level of a master or else face the trouble stick. At 8, Didi discovers the brutal truths of hunting in a traumatizing experience that leaves the young girl even more spiritually wounded. “God won’t love me anymore. I exploded a bird.” A brisk and brutal read, Griffin’s latest offers vivid snapshots of a young life held captive by an egotistical tyrant, loaded with suggestions (not always explicit) of physical abuse. The author flits quickly between short chapters, quoted Mitford passages, and other lyrical asides rather ingeniously conveying Didi’s fragile mentality under duress. There’s very little levity here, with the primary source of goodness—a compassionate neighbor who acknowledges Didi’s plight—shuffled off the pages about halfway through. The ending’s at once unsurprising and jarring, tied together with a small measure of hope that feels slightly untrustworthy. A White default is assumed.
Harrowing and intriguing. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5344-8717-8
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters.
When star hockey player Alec Barczewski’s estranged childhood friend, Dani Collins, moves to town, they end up in a mutually beneficial fake-dating relationship that reignites old feelings.
Following her parents’ divorce, Dani and her mom move in with Dani’s hockey legend grandfather in Southview, Minnesota, where she spent a month every summer as a child and where her friendship with Alec grew. Between visits, the two were pen pals, but they eventually fell out of touch. Despite some tensions over their loss of friendship, the high school seniors reconnect. Desperate to get off Harvard’s waitlist, Dani needs another extracurricular activity, while Alec—whose reputation took a hit when a photo of him holding a bong appeared on social media—is eager to improve his tarnished image for NHL scouts. The pair strike a deal: They’ll fake date, making Alec look like a stable guy whose academically gifted girlfriend is related to hockey royalty, and in exchange, he’ll get Dani a team manager position that will catch the eye of Harvard’s admissions officers. Eventually, complicated feelings about their past, stressful family relationships, and their brewing romance boil over. Romance fans will love the deliciously tension-filled scenes between Alec and Dani, who are believable friends with heavy demands weighing on them. They feel like real teenagers, and readers will enjoy rooting for them as the well-paced story unfolds. Main characters present white.
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9781665921268
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
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