Elizabeth Acevedo today

I have highlighted some of Elizabeth Acevedo's work previously but today plan to include her in my Women Whose Works I've Been Enjoying thread. Wow, eh! But first, some new books that arrived on my doorstep yesterday.

New Books

1. The Queen by Nick Cutter (2024). I have read two other Cutter horror stories, The Troop (really enjoyed) and The Deep, which was ok. I'm looking forward to this one. It sounds very interesting.

"On a sunny morning in June, Margaret Carpenter wakes up to find a new iPhone on her doorstep. She switches it on to find a text from her best friend, Charity Atwater. The problem is, Charity’s been missing for over a month. Most people in town—even the police—think she’s dead.

Margaret and Charity have been lifelong friends. They share everything, know the most intimate details about one another…but Charity carries a secret that even she is unaware of. A secret engraved into her DNA helix. For Charity is also known Subject Six, the crown jewel of Project Athena—a clandestine and unorthodox gene manipulation experiment, the brainchild of tech titan Rudyard Crate. And when Charity’s gene sequencing actualizes during a traumatic event at a high school party, it sets in motion a chain of events that will end in tragedy, bloodshed, and death.

And now Charity wants Margaret to know her story—the real story. In a narrative that takes place over one feverish day, Margaret follows a series of increasingly dreadful breadcrumbs as she forges deeper into the mystery of her best friend—a person she never truly knew at all…"

2. The Ironwood Tree by Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black (Spiderwick Chronicles #4 / 2004). I've read the first two books in this YA fantasy series and have enjoyed very much. I've also seen the 1st episode of the TV series and it left me underwhelmed, unfortunately. We'll see if it gets better.

"First a pack of vile, smelly goblins snatch Simon. Then a band of elves try to entrap Jared. Why is the entire faerie world so eager to get their hands on Spiderwick's Guide? And will the Grace kids be left alone, now that the Guide has mysteriously disappeared? Don't count on it.

At school, someone is running around pretending to be Jared, and it's not Simon. To make matters even worse, now Mallory has disappeared and something foul in the water is killing off all the plants and animals for miles around. Clues point to the old abandoned quarry, just outside of town. Dwarves have taken over an abandoned mine there. And the faerie world's abuzz with the news that a creature with plans to rule the world has offered them a gift to join with him -- he's given them a queen..."

3. The Wrath of Mulgarath by Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black (Spiderwick #5 / 2004).

"Three ordinary kids, Jared, Simon, and Mallory Grace, have entered another world -- without leaving this one! Two remarkable talents, New York Times best-sellers Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, have risked everything to bring this remarkable account to light. Five books -- one thrilling adventure -- the Spiderwick Chronicles!

Their world is closer than you think."

Now....

Women Whose Works I've Enjoyed - Elizabeth Acevedo

(I got to the end of my original list but since it took me so long to get through it, I've added a few new authors. 😎)

Elizabeth Acevedo

Elizabeth Acevedo was raised in New York City by immigrant parents from the Dominican Republic. She wanted to be a rapper but then decided to perform poetry. All of these aspects of her life have featured in the books I've enjoyed so far. Since 2016 she has written 4 Young Adult novels and in 2023 released her first adult novel. She has a unique style, regularly featuring poetry as a writing style. I've enjoyed three of her books so far and have her latest waiting my attention. Let's look at the 4 to give you a feel for her style.

1. Family Lore (2023).

"Flor has a gift: she can predict, to the day, when someone will die. So when she decides she wants a living wake—a party to bring her family and community together to celebrate the long life she’s led—her sisters are surprised. Has Flor foreseen her own death, or someone else’s? Does she have other motives? She refuses to tell her sisters, Matilde, Pastora, and Camila.

But Flor isn’t the only person with secrets. Matilde has tried for decades to cover the extent of her husband’s infidelity, but she must now confront the true state of her marriage. Pastora is typically the most reserved sister, but Flor’s wake motivates this driven woman to solve her sibling’s problems. Camila is the youngest sibling, and often the forgotten one, but she’s decided she no longer wants to be taken for granted.

And the next generation, cousins Ona and Yadi, face tumult of their own: Yadi is reuniting with her first love, who was imprisoned when they were both still kids; Ona is married for years and attempting to conceive. Ona must decide whether it’s worth it to keep trying—to have a child, and the anthropology research that’s begun to feel lackluster.

Spanning the three days prior to the wake, Family Lore traces the lives of each of the Marte women, weaving together past and present, Santo Domingo and New York City. Told with Elizabeth Acevedo’s inimitable and incandescent voice, this is an indelible portrait of sisters and cousins, aunts and nieces—one family’s journey through their history, helping them better navigate all that is to come."

2. The Poet X (2018). This was the 1st book that I read.

"Young adult story

Not my normal reading style

Took my breath away.

When I look at myself in the mirror and then at my bookshelves, The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo probably had everything going against it.

Mystery? Nope

Sci-Fi? Nope

It's poetry! I've said many times that my relationship with poetry is a troubled one, albeit, in the past few years, it has improved somewhat.

So let's continue.

Is the story about a senior citizen? Nope

A grey haired, bearded older gentleman (using that term loosely)? Nope

A white, sort of Anglo / Franco mixture of a guy? Nope.

Someone who lived a fairly normal life with a reasonably mild family life? Well....

It's a story told by a young high school girl of Dominican / American descent who can't deal with her overly religious mother and hides behind her poetry. Yup, that's definitely me. Not!

Ok, with all of those caveats, I have one thing to say. Wow! This book just took my breath away. Beautiful writing, easy to grasp poetry, powerful, breath-taking story. By the end, my heart was beating quite loudly, as I turned page after page, hoping that things would turn out better for Xiomara and her twin brother both dealing with an overbearing, strict mother. I'll let you read it to find out.

Read it! Read it! Open your minds and hearts. Such a rare talent. (5.0 stars)"

3. With the Fire on High (2019)

"With the Fire on High is the 3rd book I've enjoyed by Elizabeth Acevedo the last few years. Clap When You Land and The Poet X were both unique in that they were written as stories told with poetry. With the Fire on High is a more traditional story but is still very powerful.

Emoni is a high school student in Philadelphia trying to finish her last year and graduate. Emoni is also a bit different from most of the other kids in the school as she is also a teen mother. She gets assistance from her grand mother, Buela, as they try to make ends meet. Emoni is also a budding chef and in her last year her helpful home room teacher / guidance counsellor encourages her to take a culinary course as her option. Oh yes, Emoni has a troublesome relationship with her father. When Emoni's mother died when Emoni was very young, her father couldn't bear to stay in Philadelphia so he resides more or less permanently in Puerto Rico, making yearly visits to check up on Emoni, Baby girl and Buela.

Making her final year interesting is the arrival in her home room class and also the culinary class is a new student, Malachi. The development of their relationship becomes a major part of the story. As well, Chef (the culinary arts teacher) has planned a weeklong trip to Spain for the culinary class to learn more about cooking. This puts added pressure on Emoni as she must now try to find the funds to be able to go with the class.

I make the story sound straight-forward maybe but it's a rich, well - crafted, thoughtful story about growing up and the twists and turns of a young girl's life, with the added complication of also trying to be a mother to her young child. Acevedo knows how to draw you into her world, to feel empathy for the characters in her stories. This was touching, sad at times, but a story filled with love and caring and great characters and also yummy sounding food. Most enjoyable. (4.5 stars)"

4. Clap When You Land (2020)

"My first exposure to the poetry / story - telling of Dominican / American poetess Elizabeth Acevedo was her 2018 novel The Poet X, a gem of a story written in 'free verse'. My apologies if I have the terminology wrong. I've just completed her latest novel, Clap When You Land, written in 2020, another wonderful, touching YA story.

It tells the story of two young high school students, Yahaira Rios, who lives in New York City and Camino Rios, who lives in the Dominican Republic. Both experience a tragedy at the same time, as their father is killed in a plane crash, on a plane taking him to the DR. Unknown to them, they have the same father, as he has lived a secret life, traveling back and forth to spend time with his two daughters.

The story is told from both girls' points of view and Acevedo presents each girl's character in a unique style; Camino's in three lines per verse, Yahaira's in two. This is especially useful once the girls meet, when there is some overlap.

Basically the book tells the story of both girls, their lives and struggles in their communities and homes. It tells of the conflicted feelings towards their father, especially poignant as they begin to discover the secret he kept from them. And finally it tells of their interactions as they finally meet. It's a wonderful, powerful story, beautifully presented and described. You learn to love these characters, feel their pain, admire their strength. I highly recommend it and think that teenagers would enjoy and even enjoy the exposure to Acevedo's unique writing style. (5.0 stars)"

So there you go. Elizabeth Acevedo is a wonderful talent and worth checking out. More info on her can be found at this Wikipedia page or you can check out her home page at this link. Enjoy!