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Highlight of the Trip: I cooked alongside Emoni in Spain, learning how to infuse feeling into my meals.

Two Cent Summary

Emoni is an Afro-Puerto Rican from Philadelphia, trying to get through her senior year of high school as a teen mom and an aspiring chef. She has unmistakable talent, but she’s trying to figure out if following her dream is feasible.

First Impressions

I’ve heard a lot of amazing things about Elizabeth Acevedo, but I had yet to read anything by her. I saw that With the Fire on High was available through Libby and had to snag it. I love the cover. It’s absolutely gorgeous and the chapters are super short. Think like 3-5 pages each. I love books with short chapters because it makes you feel like you could read forever!

Elements of Literature

I loved this story. From start to almost-finish. The characterization was well done, and each character was relatable. Each one was human with flaws and strengths, even the characters I think we’re supposed to not like.

The settings were beautifully pictured. From Spain to the kitchens, everything was well described and I could clearly picture it in my head. My only beef with this book was the plotting. This book is very light and fluffy, while still talking about important life issues: a great contemporary. The plot, however, I felt was a little predictable.

The Food!

Grab some snacks when reading this book. Seriously. I was hungry throughout each reading session. Food plays a huge part in this novel, not only because Emoni wants to be a chef, but because she has culinary magic. She is able to pass down emotions through her dishes, causing the eater to feel something unexpected.

She doesn’t believe that she has this power, but everyone keeps telling her that she does. That she was born to cook. She has to make some rough decisions about her life and where she wants to go after high school, but her dream is to stay in the kitchen.

Teen Pregnancy and Motherhood

I absolutely loved how Elizabeth Acevedo talked about the after of having a baby in high school. It’s rarely talked about in young adult literature and I’m thrilled that I was able to stumble across it. Emoni has to deal with visitation from Emma’s (Emoni’s daughter) father, handle balancing a schedule, and organizing college plans... all while thinking about the best outcome for her daughter.

This element of the story was well written and extremely realistic of what a teen mother in high school would have to go through and the decisions that would have to be made.

Perseverance

One of the biggest themes of this novel is perseverance. You can get anything you want if you work hard enough for it and if you believe in yourself enough to put in the effort. Emoni is offered a spot in a culinary arts class at her high school, which has a trip associated with it to Spain to learn about Spanish cuisine. She wants to go, but she knows there will be a financial barrier. She has to persevere through many road blocks in order to see her goal at the end of the tunnel.

Reason for Rating ~ Should You Read It?

I loved this book, which his why I gave it four stars. It was a terrific story and well written with the short chapters I adore, but the plotting was a little predictable for my taste.