Copyright Date:
2023
Edition Date:
2023
Release Date:
08/01/22
Pages:
185 pages
ISBN:
1-9785960-7-3
ISBN 13:
978-1-9785960-7-8
Dewey:
Fic
Dimensions:
22 cm
Language:
English
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews
(Wed Nov 30 00:00:00 CST 2022)
After her rookie cop brother shoots an unarmed man in Queens, rising 10th grader Kiki investigates.Aspiring Greek American artist Kiki Pantazis goes with her friends to a protest. There, she sees someone holding a photo of her brother, Stavros, labeled #MURDERER. She learns that he fatally shot Ray Brennan, an unarmed schizophrenic man who is cued as White, claiming that he was acting in self-defense. Her friends want Kiki to join the protest against police violence, but Kiki is reluctant out of loyalty to her family even though she knows that Stavros isn't always a good guy. Kiki decides to find out for herself what happened, learning about the dangers often faced by mentally ill people and seeking out Ray's parents for their side of the story. Meanwhile, she decides to work through her feelings by painting a mural on the wall of her mother's bakery-of Stavros and Ray, with the identical bikes they both owned and loved-with help from other students in her summer art class. Kiki's shift from only drawing in black and white to incorporating color into her art mirrors her growing recognition of real-world complexities. This novel in verse may appeal to teens interested in the social commentary and therapeutic aspects of art, though some may find the messaging heavy-handed and question the tastefulness of the mural's content.An entry point for reluctant readers to explore the personal side of social justice issues. (glossary) (Verse novel. 12-18)
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Kirkus Reviews
(Wed Nov 30 00:00:00 CST 2022)
Kiki is a teen artist living with her Greek-American family in Queens. After a man with mental illness is killed by police, protests fill the streets. Kiki's into art, not activism, and would rather observe from the sidelines than participate, but she reluctantly joins her friends on a march. She is shocked when a protester lifts up a photograph of her brother, Stavros, and one word--#Murderer. Stavros, a police rookie in his first week on the job, says he was just defending himself. But Kiki's friends, and thousands of protesters, news reporters, and politicians, say he should be in jail. Kiki must decide who to believe, and what to do about it. Even artists can't stand on the sidelines forever.