Paulsen quotes Katherine Anne Porter: "Art is what we find when the ruins are cleared away." In exploring this provocative remark, he reveals much about his own art. Seedy, independent Mick arrives in Bolton, Kansas, to design its Vietnam Memorial. For days, he observes and draws—animals, people, the graveyard—followed by narrator Rocky, a "caramel-colored" lame teenager adopted, at nine, by good-hearted Emma and Fred. Enthralled by Mick's art, Rocky realizes that she, too, is an artist; Mick agrees, offering pointers and the respect due a fellow professional. But the town is appalled by Mick's drawings: his telling chalk reveals too much—including Tru (who hired him) in the nude. As Mick anticipated, people react most negatively to what he considers his strongest work. Then, skillfully, he leads them to accept a monument to please everyone: 18 trees, one for each of Bolton's military dead, going back to the Civil War. Rocky calls BoRon "a microcosm of the world." Of course—but only as seen in the idiosyncratic if wise vision of Mick, who wryly succeeds in giving the town a dignified monument despite itself. He also transforms two lives: Rocky finds a calling; Tru, awakened to her own humanity, joins Mick when he goes. Meanwhile, several "ruins" are suggested—wars and bar fights; the lives of Mick, Emma, and Fred (who drink a lot but function well); orphaned Rocky;, Mick's rejected drawings. Each gives rise to some sort of art or to a creative relationship; the macho view of the artist lurks, but not offensively. An intriguing, ironic tale, written vividly and with memorable humor. (Fiction. 12+)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1991
ISBN: 0-385-30518-4
Page Count: 151
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1991
Categories: TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION
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Engrossing, contemplative, and as heart-wrenching as the title promises.
26
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What would you do with one day left to live?
In an alternate present, a company named Death-Cast calls Deckers—people who will die within the coming day—to inform them of their impending deaths, though not how they will happen. The End Day call comes for two teenagers living in New York City: Puerto Rican Mateo and bisexual Cuban-American foster kid Rufus. Rufus needs company after a violent act puts cops on his tail and lands his friends in jail; Mateo wants someone to push him past his comfort zone after a lifetime of playing it safe. The two meet through Last Friend, an app that connects lonely Deckers (one of many ways in which Death-Cast influences social media). Mateo and Rufus set out to seize the day together in their final hours, during which their deepening friendship blossoms into something more. Present-tense chapters, short and time-stamped, primarily feature the protagonists’ distinctive first-person narrations. Fleeting third-person chapters give windows into the lives of other characters they encounter, underscoring how even a tiny action can change the course of someone else’s life. It’s another standout from Silvera (History Is All You Left Me, 2017, etc.), who here grapples gracefully with heavy questions about death and the meaning of a life well-lived.
Engrossing, contemplative, and as heart-wrenching as the title promises. (Speculative fiction. 13-adult).Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-06-245779-0
Page Count: 384
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: June 5, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2017
Categories: TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES
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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. 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
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