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My first exposure to the poetry / story - telling of Dominican / American poetess Elizabeth Acevedo was her 2018 novel The Poet X, a gem of a story written in 'free verse'. My apologies if I have the terminology wrong. I've just completed her latest novel, Clap When You Land, written in 2020, another wonderful, touching YA story.

It tells the story of two young high school students, Yahaira Rios, who lives in New York City and Camino Rios, who lives in the Dominican Republic. Both experience a tragedy at the same time, as their father is killed in a plane crash, on a plane taking him to the DR. Unknown to them, they have the same father, as he has lived a secret life, traveling back and forth to spend time with his two daughters.

The story is told from both girls' points of view and Acevedo presents each girl's character in a unique style; Camino's in three lines per verse, Yahaira's in two. This is especially useful once the girls meet, when there is some overlap.

Basically the book tells the story of both girls, their lives and struggles in their communities and homes. It tells of the conflicted feelings towards their father, especially poignant as they begin to discover the secret he kept from them. And finally it tells of their interactions as they finally meet. It's a wonderful, powerful story, beautifully presented and described. You learn to love these characters, feel their pain, admire their strength. I highly recommend it and think that teenagers would enjoy and even enjoy the exposure to Acevedo's unique writing style. (5.0 stars)