Additional information
by Aida Salazar (Author)
Two teens are sent to Mexico for the summer to unplug in this hilarious and heartwarming dual narrative, perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds, Kwame Alexander, Adib Khorram, Erin Entrada Kelly, and Meg Medina.
"The dual narration slips fluidly between one consciousness and the other, a neat split-screen effect that brings alive each character's experiences inside and out." --The New York Times
★ "A powerful contemporary coming-of-age story."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review
★ "Relatable [and] vivid." --Booklist, starred review
"An accessible, heartwarming story." --Publisher's Weekly
It's finally summer--heck, yeah!
With eigth grade done, Elio Solis plans to lock in on his gaming and show the fellas what he's got.
Celi Rivera and her bestie are headed to Hawaii to sun, skate, and search content for her channel.
But those dreams end when a catfishing incident rocks their Oakland community. Suddenly, parents are nosing in posts, taking phones, and laying down lectures about screen-time safety and well-being. Suddenly, Celi and Elio find themselves sent to rural Mexico, without internet, electricity, or even running water save for a dying stream that could wipe out the whole pueblo in the coming summer rains.
Helping curanderas in a healing clinic... carting sticks to rehabilitate the arroyo... turn summer dreams to misery!
But day by day, in nature, beauty, and community, with crushes blooming, can they find their way to each other--and slowly back to themselves?
Author Biography
Aida Salazar is an award-winning author and arts activist whose writings for adults and children explore issues of identity and social justice. She has written several multi-award-winning middle-grade verse novels, including The Moon Within, Land of the Cranes, and Ultraviolet, an ALA Notable and Pura Belpré Honor Book. Her acclaimed picture books include the Caldecott Honor Book Jovita Wore Pants: The Story of a Mexican Freedom Fighter, illustrated by Molly Mendoza, and In the Spirit of a Dream: 13 Stories of American Immigrants of Color. Salazar lives with her family of artists in Oakland, California.
