With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

Everything about this book is beautiful. The dust jacket art is beautiful. The cover of the book under the dust jacket is beautiful. And the words on the pages, they just so incredibly beautiful. 

Meeting Emoni was such a pleasure. She is a high school senior when we met her and she is an amazing cook with aspirations of becoming a chef. She has had her heartbroken by a boy and by her dad and has a hard time trusting. And she is a teenage mom. And then along comes Malachi. He is cute and sweet and just really likes her and wants to know her. But all of her experiences have left her burnt and tender and she thinks he is just out for a taste of her pudding (read this and the reference will make perfect sense). 

So much happens to Emoni during this year and it isn't always easy but it is always raw and real and touched my heart so deeply. She faces changes and choices that are difficult for every graduating senior but when you don't have a lot of money and you have a child some dreams seem so far out of reach it takes real bravery to even try and reach for them. 

Elizabeth Acevedo has a gift and I am so glad she is sharing it with us. 

(Finished September 4, 2019)