ACCESS DIGITIZED EDITION
Guide/Reviews Database
OLDER FICTION
Follmuth, Alexene Farol

My Mechanical Romance

272 pp. | Holiday | May, 2022 | Trade ISBN 978-0-8234-5010-7 $18.99
(2) YA When a teacher takes note of newcomer Bel Maier's natural talents in science and pushes her to try out for the school's robotics team, high-school senior Bel--who is less ­interested in academics and college plans than many of her ­classmates--is wary but gives it a shot. She gets off to a rocky start with the team lead, wealthy, beloved school jock Teo Luna, when she criticizes the design of the robot created for competition, but it doesn't take long for the two to begin collaborating and develop feelings for each other. The lack of support from the team advisor and overt misogyny from competitors are frustrating forces that test Bel's self-confidence as a girl of color in STEM. This lively teen romance, with alternating narration from Bel and Teo, is packed with humor as well as tender moments, while also reflecting common anxieties around graduating high school. The characters' multiracial and multicultural family contexts (Bel's family identifies as "half Filipino"; Teo has Mexican and Jewish heritage) are naturally integrated. Though Bel is unsure of her future plans, she solidifies her friendships, familial and academic support, and most importantly, trust in herself.
Reviewer: Gabi K. Huesca | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

RELATED 

OLDER FICTION

What Beauty There Is
by Anderson, Cory
OLDER FICTION

Between Perfect and Real
by Stoeve, Ray
OLDER FICTION

Zoe Rosenthal Is Not Lawful Good
by Werlin, Nancy
OLDER FICTION

Home Is Not a Country
by Elhillo, Safia
OLDER FICTION

All Our Hidden Gifts
by O'Donoghue, Caroline
More

Get connected. Join our global community of more than 200,000 librarians and educators.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?