Details

Length: 417
Story Build: Slow burn (in a great way!)
Character development: Solid 
Age Recommendation: 7/8th grade and up 
Reasoning: death of a parent, language, references to sexual trafficking (briefly), characters are in high school  

Summary and Review

 I need to start this review by first declaring my love for Elizabeth Acevedo’s writing. Her poetic ability is beautiful, and dang, the woman can write. She has such a way with words, and I. Am. Here. For. It. 

I was super excited when I came across the pre-order for her new novel on Amazon (I often peruse the website and add many texts to my cart to be bought at later dates.. Kind of like window shopping). I immediately added it to be bought when it came out, and sure enough, I think I got it a few days after it came out. I was pumped. 

I read The Poet X over the summer, and I have recommended it to many students because Acevedo captures the teen voice in an innovative and refreshing way, especially those who are grappling with multiple cultural identities. Clap When You Land is another example of Acevedo’s narrative and poetic talent. 

In her new story, she weaves the narrative of two young women, Yahaira and Camino, who have yet to meet but share more than they know. At the start of the story, both girls lose their father– yep, their shared father — in a plane crash, which Acevedo based in reality (she goes into detail in the author’s note at the end; read it!). Devastated by the loss, both girls deal with this in their own ways in their respective locations. 

Yahaira lives in New York City, and she finds comfort in her girlfriend, Dre; however, she also picks up on some serious familial tensions as her mother and uncles and aunts seem to be keeping something from her. 

In the Dominican Republic, Camino continues to help her aunt treat sick neighbors and desparately tries to keep away from El Cero, a local trouble maker and possible sex trafficker. She wonders if her life, which she had planned to continue in the States as a medical student, will come to fruition now that her father is no longer alive. 

As you can probably tell, the girls find out about each other and about the fact that their father led two lives with two separate families — one in the US and one in the DR. Death is never easy but finding out you have another person who shares your DNA definitely complicates things. 

Acevedo redefines family and forgiveness in her poetic tale of grief and love lost and found. It is a tale that stays seared in your mind after the final pages. It’s definitely due to her writing style as well as the story. The characters linger, and I kept wanting to know how they would land… 

Celebrations

 I have to celebrate Acevedo’s lyrical writing style, her word play, her imagery. You can imagine every little detail that she lays out for you on the page because her talent elevates the words to a new level. She also gets so much narrative out without unnecessary text. You can tell that each word has a purpose and that it is drenched in meaning. 

Hesitations

Like I said, I really wish I knew what happened when they landed… (you’ll see).