With the Fire on High

With the Fire on High
Elizabeth Acevedo
HarperCollins, 2019 400 pages
Grades 9-Up
Realistic Fiction

Teen Mom Emoni Santiago is struggling with finishing high school, taking care of her toddler daughter (with the help of her grandmother), and working a horrible fast-food job. Her favorite thing to do is cook and is blessed with the natural talent and ability to make people cry with her food. When a culinary arts class opens up in her magnet high school in Philadelphia, Emoni decided to give it a try, even though she knows she can't afford the week-long trip to Spain that is built into the curriculum. It is here that Emoni meets a cute boy, who seems to see past her looks and baby and is willing to get to know the real person underneath. Meanwhile, something is going on with Abuela. Why does she go to the doctor's so much? Is she sick? As senior year progresses, Emoni grows up and makes decisions about her future. She manages to travel with the class to Spain and that trip, as well as the culinary arts class, becomes a real game-changer. Graduation rolls around and Emoni has a plan. If only she had the money and support to make it work...

Acevedo's follow-up to her outstanding Poet X moves from poetry to prose, yet still embraces the grittiness of the hood. This sophomore novel is a bit fluffier than the first, yet is equally riveting and impossible to put down. Emoni attempts to keep many balls in the air at once, balancing school, motherhood, and work, which is no small feat for adults, let alone a teenager. Acevedo does not shy away from the sacrifices involved with teen parenting and although Emoni's life revolves around her daughter, she misses out on a lot of teen experiences. Readers will be happy to see her find love with a kind and understanding suiter and see her finally have a bit of a social life. They will be exposed to the realities behind teen parenting and the responsibility it entails. Emoni is very lucky in that she has discovered her gift in cooking and even luckier that she had the opportunity to take the class that leads her to her future. Many young people are not blessed with the mentorship that Emoni is offered and will hopefully try to seek out their own opportunities after reading this novel. All ends a little too happily, yet readers will be satisfied and relieved with the outcome. Armchair chefs may be inspired to turn off the Food Network and get into the kitchen to try to whip up something of their own. Sure to find a readership, this book may not be as beautifully crafted as Poet X, but is just as entertaining and certainly time well spent.