Clap When You Land

Elizabeth Acevedo

May 2020 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this ebook

In a novel-in-verse that brims with grief and love, National Book Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives.

Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people…

In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash.

Separated by distance—and Papi’s secrets—the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered.

And then, when it seems like they’ve lost everything of their father, they learn of each other. 

Great for summer reading or anytime! Clap When You Land is a Today show pick for “25 children’s books your kids and teens won’t be able to put down this summer!"

Plus don't miss Elizabeth Acevedo's The Poet X and With the Fire on High!

Ratings and reviews

Acevedo has done it again. She has captured my heart with written word like no other! Clap When You Land was everything I had hoped it would be! It was a slow burn of a story with amazing emotional depth, sprinkled with life lessons and beauty! This author has proven time and again that she can portray an array of messages and emotions with few words. Written in verse, like The Poet X, Clap When You Land was a heartfelt story about how differently we all respond to grief. It was a play on the age-old adage “the grass isn’t always greener on the other side,” as well as the idea of letting go of preconceived notions of someone. The story boasted about the human connection being everywhere, even if we can’t see it or don’t know it. Acevedo wrote a powerful story about how kindness matters and how important it is for women to uplift other women, and to be there for each other, because we are stronger together. Her story showed that there is beauty in life and death, and in learning about the lives someone has touched. But, besides the message about how important it is for women to empower one another, what I loved most about the story was how it proved that you are who you are and you are not just defined by your parents, but by your choices, and your heart. And, the beauty about finding all these messages, lessons, whatever you want to call them, is the fact that Acevedo threw all of this at us without us even realizing it. While reading, I found that I was just naturally thinking about all these things Clap When You Land was a powerful story about grief. It was a story about learning that sometimes you can never truly know someone But, it was also a story about family, friendship, and figuring out what’s really important, and ignoring petty things, prejudices, and past betrayals. It was about forgiveness and finding yourself and your strength, both through yourself, and through those around you. It touched my heart and soul, and left me in tears (in a good way). Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

About the author

ELIZABETH ACEVEDO is the New York Times-bestselling author of The Poet X, which won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, the Michael L. Printz Award, the Pura Belpré Award, the Carnegie medal, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, and the Walter Award. She is also the author of With the Fire on High—which was named a best book of the year by the New York Public Library, NPR, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal—and Clap When You Land, which was a Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor book and a Kirkus finalist. She holds a BA in Performing Arts from The George Washington University and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Maryland. Acevedo has been a fellow of Cave Canem, Cantomundo, and a participant in the Callaloo Writer’s Workshops. She is a National Poetry Slam Champion, and resides in Washington, DC with her loves.