Read this when
Clap When You Land
When grief comes with a secret you never saw coming. ✈️💔
Who it's for
Two narrators, Camino in the Dominican Republic and Yahaira in New York, grieve the same father, which lets readers see that grief after betrayal is complicated: love, anger and confusion all at once.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Elizabeth Acevedo's 2020 young adult novel in verse alternates between two narrators: Camino Ríos in Sosúa, Dominican Republic, and Yahaira Ríos in New York City. When their father dies in a plane crash, the two girls learn about each other for the first time and find out he had a secret second family. The story follows their grief, their questions about identity and the start of a wary sisterhood.
Where to find it
In print; widely available from libraries (Libby/Hoopla, where held) and as an audiobook. Not public domain.
Before you start
Heads up: Attempted sexual assault and a parent's death.
Age: Ages 14+
It is the little things that I leave behind for my loved ones,—great things are for everyone.Rabindranath Tagore, Stray Birds, no. 178
