Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~ 5 hours, 33 minutes. Read by the author and Melania Luisa Marte. Quill Tree Books, May, 2020. 9780063011816. (Review of e-audio downloaded from the public library.)
Teen Tuesday may ring a bell to followers of The Daily Booktalk. I featured it last spring when I reviewed the arc. I recently learned that the author was one of the two narrators of the audiobook and decided to reread the book with my ears since I am such a fan of her narrations, not just of her poetry, but also of prose books, such as Pride by Ibi Zoboi.
This verse novel is a dual narrative. Yahaira lives in New York City with her papi and mami. Until the previous year, she was a chess champion. She stopped playing abruptly when she discovered Papi's secret. She's stubborn and fierce.
Camino lives in the Dominican Republic with her tia. Her mother died ten years ago and her father only visits from June to September. He pays for her private school, but she'd really like for him to bring her to the United States so that she can pursue her dreams of attending Columbia University as a pre-med. These are dashed forever when she learns that he has been killed in a plane crash while en route to the DR.
Two girls, one father, one secret exposed.
This intense read comes to brilliant life in the hands of the narrators who play their respective roles to a T. I already knew what was going to happen and still was completely enthralled. Read Clap When You Land with your eyes or with your ears. Just read it.
The Odyssey Committee agrees. Clap When You Land garnered an Odyssey Honor yesterday morning.
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