Indies Introduce

Young Adult

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  When We Make It, Elisabet Velasquez
  Dial Books, 9780593324486, September 21, 2021 (Young Adult)
  

  “Told with clarity of voice in poems that stand alone and hold together, Velasquez tells the story of Sarai, a Puerto Rican American eighth grader living in Brooklyn. Sarai is able to see herself, highlight the ways her neighborhood and loved ones save and fail her, and come to her own understanding of what ‘making it’ will mean.”

  Hannah Amrollahi, Bookworm of Omaha, Omaha, NE
  
  

  “Like a 21st century manifestation of the Nuyorican pionero poet Miguel Pinero, Elisabet Velasquez conjures her community to existence in a living, breathing narrative debut in verse that moved my soul. Her fiery literary voice is echoing in my mind still.”

  Brein Lopez, Children’s Book World, Los Angeles, CA
  

   

  “The extraordinary poetry of Elisabet Velasquez takes the reader through the streets Bushwick, Brooklyn. It’s a journey of energy, turning corners, facing roadblocks and finding paths. Sarai, her sister, and mother are almost always moving and survival is almost always on the line. Nothing is easy with her mother, but through it all Sarai keeps telling her story in this heart-breaking, heart-mending novel in verse. Her voice is powerful. Her story looks fragile but steel runs through it. Read it once, read it again, then look for more poetry by Velasquez!”

  Connie Griffin, Bookworks, Albuquerque, NM