Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo Published by HarperCollins on May 5, 2020
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Coming of Age, Young Adult Fiction / Family / General, Young Adult Fiction / Novels in Verse, Young Adult Fiction / People & Places / United States / Hispanic & Latino
Pages: 448
Format: Hardcover
Source: Bookstore
In a novel-in-verse that brims with grief and love, National Book Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives.
Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people…
In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash.
Separated by distance—and Papi’s secrets—the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered.
And then, when it seems like they’ve lost everything of their father, they learn of each other.
Great for summer reading or anytime! Clap When You Land is a Today show pick for “25 children’s books your kids and teens won’t be able to put down this summer!"
Plus don't miss Elizabeth Acevedo's The Poet X and With the Fire on High!
My Review
This is the first book I ever read in verse but I have to say I enjoyed the layout of it. I enjoyed this story and how it was split between the two sisters. I think that the author did a good job of separating the characters so that you knew who was who. The story is about two sister who live in different countries and they do not know that the other exists until their father dies in a plane crash. The story takes place in New York where Papi (the father) lives with his younger daughter and wife but it also takes place in the Dominican Republic where his older daughter lives with her aunt.
Camino Rios (the older daughter) and Yahaira Rios (the younger daughter) live completely different lives. Camino lives in a poor area where her aunt is the local medicine woman. Camino is in her last year of school and desperately wants to go to the States where she can study to become a doctor. Yahaira lives in a neighborhood where people aren’t exactly rich but are not poor either. She lives a comfortable life with her parents and her girlfriend living next door.
As you read through the book you will learn about each girl and the lives that they lead. You will learn about the struggles that they face as females in the world and what it is like to have such a secretive father. You will see the way that they interact with each other and the people around them. You will also see how each one tries to make sense of the life that their father led and how it had an impact on everyone.
This book was enjoyable but a person should be aware that there are potential triggers for sexual violence and grief.