Starred Review Eighteen-year-old Alberto is living with his older sister, Lupe, when he first hears a mysterious voice in his head. Soon, it becomes such a fixture that he names it "Captain America," because "it was not real. It had no power over him." But of course, it does, as it orders him about, commenting abusively on his life ("You're worthless") until it's hard for Alberto to think and he begins to experience disturbing memory lapses. When Alberto is sent by his sister's odious boyfriend (who's also his boss, Wayne) to clean windows at one of Wayne's tenant's apartments, he meets beautiful, wealthy Grace; though the two come from very different worlds, they are immediately infatuated. But then Alberto is accused of robbing and murdering Wayne's elderly aunt, whose house he was painting. Maddeningly, he can't actually remember the circumstances, questioning if he really might be guilty as he flees from the police and Grace risks everything to help him. Stork (On the Hook, 2021) writes with quiet authority an affecting, deeply emotional story about a beautifully realized, highly empathetic boy dealing with schizophrenia. In an author's note, he acknowledges his own experiences with an illness similar to Alberto's. The result is an important book that deserves a wide readership.

A kind, loving, undocumented teen in New York struggling with mental illness is accused of a terrible crime and isn't sure if he's innocent.Eighteen-year-old Alberto works hard-earning money as a painter that he sends back to family in Mexico, studying for his high school equivalency certificate, and helping the older sister he lives with care for her baby-all while pursuing his passion for pottery. But he worries about his deteriorating mental health: An aggressive, insulting voice in his head has begun urging him to engage in uncharacteristic violence. Jewish high school senior Grace is at the top of her class. Although she's planning to attend Princeton and become a doctor, Grace has been questioning everything since her parents' divorce. She's drawn to Alberto from the day they meet, and when tragedy strikes and Alberto is accused of killing an elderly client and goes on the run, the pair struggle to figure out what really happened. Alberto's suspected schizophrenia makes him heartbreakingly susceptible to both the best and worst of humanity; he encounters those who cruelly take advantage of his mental state but experiences extraordinary kindness from Grace's formerly estranged family members and their rabbi. Told in the teens' alternating perspectives, the narrative poignantly conveys how compassion and a willingness to overcome the perceived stigma of severe mental illness, together with the appropriate medical attention, can make all the difference.An illuminatingly powerful story about mental illness, young love, faith, and hope. (author's note, resources) (Fiction. 14-18)

Eighteen-year-old Alberto lives with his sister, Lupe, and her baby, Chato, in Brooklyn. While studying for his high-school equivalency, he's working painting houses for Lupe's sketchy boyfriend and expressing himself creatively at the neighborhood ceramics studio. On a job, he meets Grace, whose parents are going through a messy divorce. The two quickly bond and form a friendship, maybe more; but Alberto is troubled by a voice in his head (which he calls "Captain America") that espouses violence. Then a wealthy woman is murdered while Alberto is painting her apartment, and he becomes the only suspect. Grace harbors him, believes in him, and wants to clear his name -- but he's not so sure he's innocent. Stork's (Illegal, rev. 7/20) latest propulsive psychological thriller again features a multidimensional cast of primary and secondary characters facing heightened situations (suspension of disbelief recommended). Issues of socioeconomic inequities, immigration, domestic violence, addiction, and antisemitism are well-threaded throughout the narrative; but most memorable and indelible is Alberto's struggle with mental illness: his efforts to stand up to Captain America, his uncertainty, and, by the end, comfort in being "not alone." A closing note describes Stork's own experiences with auditory hallucinations, and Mental Health and Crisis Resources are appended.

A kind, loving, undocumented teen in New York struggling with mental illness is accused of a terrible crime and isn't sure if he's innocent.Eighteen-year-old Alberto works hard-earning money as a painter that he sends back to family in Mexico, studying for his high school equivalency certificate, and helping the older sister he lives with care for her baby-all while pursuing his passion for pottery. But he worries about his deteriorating mental health: An aggressive, insulting voice in his head has begun urging him to engage in uncharacteristic violence. Jewish high school senior Grace is at the top of her class. Although she's planning to attend Princeton and become a doctor, Grace has been questioning everything since her parents' divorce. She's drawn to Alberto from the day they meet, and when tragedy strikes and Alberto is accused of killing an elderly client and goes on the run, the pair struggle to figure out what really happened. Alberto's suspected schizophrenia makes him heartbreakingly susceptible to both the best and worst of humanity; he encounters those who cruelly take advantage of his mental state but experiences extraordinary kindness from Grace's formerly estranged family members and their rabbi. Told in the teens' alternating perspectives, the narrative poignantly conveys how compassion and a willingness to overcome the perceived stigma of severe mental illness, together with the appropriate medical attention, can make all the difference.An illuminatingly powerful story about mental illness, young love, faith, and hope. (author's note, resources) (Fiction. 14-18)

Stork (On the Hook) interweaves issues of racism, mental health, and classism with a budding romance in this moving read. Teenage Alberto lives with his beloved nephew, his drug-dependent older sister, and her married, physically abusive boyfriend. On top of dealing with his tumultuous homelife and working as a housepainter to help financially support the rest of his family back in Mexico, he must also navigate concerns about his own undocumented status, his undiagnosed learning disability, and a mysterious voice in his head that pressures him to commit violent acts. On a job, he meets Grace, a Princeton hopeful from an affluent Jewish family, who’s drawn to Alberto’s kindness. When Alberto goes on the run after being accused of murdering an elderly client, Grace resolves to help him. But with all the evidence seemingly pointing to Alberto, and Alberto himself experiencing frequent blackouts and doubting his own mind, Grace must enlist the teens’ N.Y.C. community to ensure justice. Straightforward prose and the pair’s alternating perspectives paint an accessible picture of Alberto’s auditory hallucinations (informed by Stork’s own experience, according to an author’s note) and suspected schizophrenia, and Grace’s own doubts regarding her future. While the narrative’s high-stakes conflicts are front and center, it’s the sheer sweetness of Alberto and Grace’s love story that sets the tone of this hopeful read. Ages 14–up. Agent: Faye Bender, Book Group. (July)