There is always high pressure when a National Book Award Winner publishes their next book. Elizabeth Acevedo’s With The Fire On High is a worthy follow up. Emoni is a senior. She lives with ‘Buela and her two-year-old daughter. She got pregnant her Freshman year in high school and has balanced raising her daughter and helping to support her grandmother, all while trying to plan for the future and stay in school. Emoni has a magical talent for cooking. It is intuition that drives her so when a culinary arts class is a possible elective, Emoni is thrilled. However the class comes with a trip to Spain that she know she cannot pay for. With The Fire On High has a vivid cast of characters, from Emoni, her outstanding grandmother, her absent father in Puerto Rico, her adorable daughter, her vivacious friend, Angelica, her not so helpful ex and the new boy with the dangerous dimpled smile. I loved this book. It is an authentic immigrant story with a strong female heroine. I was rooting for Emoni to chase her dreams throughout the story. One of my favorite moments were the experiences she had working with the chef in Spain. Emoni is also smart enough to learn from past mistakes. She is rightly cautious with her heart. I highly recommend this enjoyable read for teens and adults. I can’t wait to see what Acevedo dishes up next.
Some ideas for discussing with teens:
Discuss how Emoni named her daughter Emma. When she wanted her daughter’s name to sound less like hers so Emma could have more opportunities.
Discuss when Emoni says, “When people from different neighborhoods first meet me, they wonder why I don’t fit certain modes.”
Discuss when Emoni says this about her neighborhood, “This part of Philly has one of the highest crime rates in the city, or at least that’s what the newspaper reports. They call us part of the Badlands, but when you stay here, you know there’s a lot more goodness than is reported in the news.”
Discuss “Where we come from leaves it fingerprints all over us, and if you know now to read the signs of a place, you know a little more who someone is. Anyone who wants to get to know me has to know how to appreciate the multiple skylines.”
Discuss when Emoni says some days she feels “like a full pot of water with the fire on high” so she lets her heart take over.
Discuss when Angelica tells Emoni to be careful with Malachi’s smile.
Discuss when Emoni says, “My hopes and dreams seem so far out of reach I have to squint to see them, so how could I possibly pursue them?”
Disuss What Emoni says about her friendship with Angelica. “And ain’t that what it means to be a sister? Holding things tight when the other one is falling apart?”
Discuss how Malachi and Tyrone are different?
Discuss Emoni’s relationships with her teachers. Do you have a teacher who made a big impact in your life?
Discuss Emoni’s relationship with her dad?
Discuss this passage, “We look beautiful and hood and excited to see the world, and none of us are hiding from this world seeing us. All of us shining despite what it took us to earn our way here.”
Discuss Pretty Leslie. Do you know anyone like that?
Discuss this passage, “And I know the past isn’t a mirror image of the future, but it’s a reflection of what can be; and when your first love breaks your heart, the shards of that can still draw blood for a long time.”
Discuss the stereotyping about Angelica’s colorful weave but she guesses that the woman would thinks a “white tween with purple cornrows is charming and creative.”
Hickey Picks - Young Adult Readers Advisory 