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With the Fire on High
by Elizabeth Acevedo
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With her daughter to care for and her abuela to help support, high school senior Emoni Santiago has to make the tough decisions, and do what must be done. The one place she can let her responsibilities go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness. Still, she knows she doesn’t have enough time for her school’s new culinary arts class, doesn’t have the money for the class’s trip to Spain — and shouldn’t still be dreaming of someday working in a real kitchen. But even with all the rules she has for her life — and all the rules everyone expects her to play by — once Emoni starts cooking, her only real choice is to let her talent break free
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"Mary: This author, Elizabeth Acevedo, had another book about a year ago called The Poet X . The coolest thing about her books is that they are novels in verse. Hearing poetry as it’s written and spoken by the actual author brings it to an entire different level. She’s one of those authors where you cannot imagine anyone else narrating her book. She is one of those ‘own voices’, where you hear her culture, you hear everything. Robin: I completely agree. Both With the Fire on High and The Poet X are just spectacular listening for teens. Elizabeth is a performance artist, she writes in verse, she’s the whole deal. Mary: Robin, has she ever narrated anybody else’s books? I would love to hear her. Robin: Yes, she narrated Ibi Zoboi’s Pride, which we reviewed here . It’s a retelling of Pride and Prejudice ."
The 2020 Audie Awards: Best Audiobooks for Young Adults ·
fivebooks.com
"Emoni got pregnant her freshman year of high school, and now she must juggle parenting her Babygirl with passing her classes. But Emoni’s true passion is cooking. In her hands, ingredients transform into something magical, transporting people deep into their most precious memories. And when Emoni’s school announces a special cooking class, it seems too good to be true. With the Fire on High is an open representation of teen motherhood that shows its hardships and joys without judgment. It’s a love letter to teens like Emoni, and its message is a powerful one: You can do this – and thrive."