Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

A story told in verse of two sixteen year old girls; Camino in the Dominican Republic and Yahaira in New York. Camino is at the airport, waiting to greet her father who lives in New York and visits every summer. The plane is late, and it is announced that the plane has crashed. Yahaira is angry with her father. Snooping through his things, she discovers a document that indicates that he has another family. She now understands why he leaves for the Dominican every summer. Suddenly, her anger turns to grief with anger as she learns that her father's plane has crashed.

Camino, whose mother died from cancer years ago and now living with her aunt, is grieving the loss of her father, concerned about how bills and her tuition will be paid, and trying to deal with a lurking danger from which her father is no longer there to protect her. Camino's resentment and anger towards her father's secret family in New York grows stronger. She decides to search for her unknown sister and contact her via social media.

Yahaira is trying to deal with her anger, and now her grief over her father. She has stopped participating in chess tournaments, and has trouble dealing with her mother. The airline has given them a large cash advance on a settlement, and now family members are knocking at the door for money. Fortunately she can turn to her neighbor, best friend, and girlfriend, Dre. Things change when she gets a message from a person claiming to be her sister in the Dominican.

The free verse novel is told in the alternating voices of Camino and Yahaira. The character, strength, and emotion of each girl is beautifully rendered with its own format and rhythm. The alternating voices are combined when the two girls meet. A strong book dealing with loss, grief, love, and the ultimate strength and compassion for familial ties.

Mark's Book Picks Score: 4

Reading Level: 5.3 • Interest Level: 9-12 • AR Points: 7 • Lexile Level: HL800L• Publisher: Harper Teen • Pages: 417 • Copyright: 2020 • ISBN: 978-0-06-288276-9 • Available in Perma-Bound Binding