Last year Acevedo wowed me with her debut THE POET X, a book that hit me on a lot of levels—to the point that I shared it with my mother enthusiastically. I was extremely excited for her sophomore effort, WITH THE FIRE ON HIGH. Given what a spectacular narrator Acevedo herself is, I wanted to listen to this on audiobook too, and it did not disappoint.

Emoni Santiago, our Afro-Latinx heroine, is a senior at a Philadelphia high school. She has a young daughter and they live together with her abuela. She's navigating motherhood, being a student, her love of food, and most warily, what her future holds. I loved that Acevedo doesn't use Emoni as some sort of moralistic emblem or cautionary tale. Emoni is not defined solely by being a teenage mother; she is not defined by one thing, she is a fully rendered character and a delight to follow on this journey. She has a defiant attitude that makes me smile, but an earnestness to do the right thing and to think of others. She learns a lot over the course of the book, and Acevedo's writing brings so much love and warmth to the good and the drama and the sadness AND the food descriptions! This will make you hungry to taste Emoni's magical culinary concoctions.

Like THE POET X, it's one I'm saving for my own daughter when she starts reading YA. Acevedo's extremely talented, in so many ways.