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Poetry. Young Adult Fiction. Young Adult Literature. HTML: An Odyssey Honor Audiobook 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. Don't miss the audiobook, read by Elizabeth Acevedo, the beloved author and narrator of The Poet X, winner of an Odyssey Honor and an AudioFile Earphones Award winner. 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… (more)
User reviews
I found the verse form effective, allowing for a punctuation of feelings from the two girls as they go through this life-changing event while coming of age. It’s an easy read but the mix of feelings churned up are anything but simple. And while the characters are far removed from me personally, there is a universality about losing a parent, and these words hit hard:
“For the rest of my life I will sit & imagine
what my father would say in any given moment.
& I will make him up:
his words, his advice, our memories.”
Here’s another excerpt on death; I’ve resolved to carry a special coin with me:
“In history we learned
the Greeks made sure to die
with a coin in their pocket
to ensure their spirit could pay
for their way to the other side;
remembering this, I give Papi
the only kind of safe passage I have to offer…”
I don't read much YA, but I thought that this book was really well done. The story was compelling, and the book was well-written. I would definitely recommend the audiobook, which I listened to--the narrators (one of whom was the author) were great, and it worked well since this is a novel in verse.
Camino Rios lives with her aunt in the Dominican Republic, and looks forward every year to her father's return from NYC, where he makes money for the family. When he dies in a plane crash, she learns he had a second family in NYC, and she has a sister, Yahaira Rios.
The story is inspired by the 2001 crash of a plane headed to the DR that "rocked {the author's} community" and saw "secrets come out." The feeling out of the sisters' new relationship and the stark differences, but interconnectedness, between the two communities is well-handled. Fans of this author's work will want to pick this one up and devour it.
I listened to this entire audiobook in one day. I cried so many different kinds of tears. The two main characters had my heart from the very beginning right through the end. So wonderful.
Carmino dreams of becoming a healer like her beloved Tia. She plans to go medical school in the US one day.
The highlight of Carmino’s year is when her beloved Papi returns and stays an entire month.
Her excitement builds as she skips school to meet him at the airport.
But this time the plane doesn’t land. All aboard are lost at sea.
Reeling from this blow, there is another blow to come. Papi has another family in New York with another biological daughter almost exactly Carmino’s age.
It’s a turning point. Is there another way to go forward without the bitterness and lies that have marked the past? Or will old jealousies and resentment be too much to overcome?
Since I first read [The Poet X], Elizabeth Acevedo has become one of my favorite YA authors. In [Clap When You Land] she returns to the novel in verse that I enjoyed so much. I’m already looking forward to her next book!
My heart broke when they learned about their
"Clap When You Land" is a YA book, but it's one adults of any age will love and learn from. I look forward to reading more books from Elizabeth Acevado.
I wasn't sure what I felt about
In this novel in verse, the two girls' stories intertwine, switching back and forth between perspectives. As in her first novel, The Poet X, Elizabeth Acevedo deftly writes characters who you as the reader care deeply about with an economy and precision of language that's a pleasure to read. Highly recommended.
The chapter headings, that switch from one girl's name to the other, bolding first one name, and graying out the other, with the plane always pointing to the speaker, were a clever device to keep straight who was speaking.
The father has died in a plane traveling to the Dominican Republic, where he spends every summer with his second family. Each girl responds to the gut punch in her own way.
Camino, though, lives with harsh realities, which after her father's death, will threaten to end all of her hopes. Although I read the book in less than a day, and it dragged a bit towards the middle, once I passed the middle I couldn't stop reading. I'm very glad I finished it.
This novel explores what happens following a plane crash and the writer has said she was inspired to write the book because of
This book was written for a YA audience and to me (far from Y) seemed a little unbelievable. The half-sisters got over any resentment towards each other very quickly and Yahaira's mother's acceptance of their relationship seemed rather too good to be true. Nevertheless, it was an interesting listen and I would recommend this audiobook.