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Iveliz Explains It All
(Newbery Honor Award Winner)
1 of 2 copies available
"Powerful." —Lisa Fipps, Printz Honor-winning author of Starfish
How do you speak up when it feels like no one is listening?
The end of elementary school?
Worst time of my life.
And the start of middle school?
I just wasn’t quite right.
But this year?
YO VOY A MI.
Seventh grade is going to be Iveliz’s year. She’s going to make a new friend, help her abuela Mimi get settled after moving from Puerto Rico, and she is not going to get into any more trouble at school. . . .
Except is that what happens? Of course not. Because no matter how hard Iveliz tries, sometimes people say things that just make her so mad. And worse, Mimi keeps saying Iveliz’s medicine is unnecessary—even though it helps Iveliz feel less sad. But how do you explain your feelings to others when you’re not even sure what’s going on yourself?
Powerful and compassionate, Andrea Beatriz Arango’s debut navigates mental health, finding your voice, and discovering that those who really love you will stay by your side no matter what.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Awards
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Release date
September 13, 2022 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593611920
- File size: 97416 KB
- Duration: 03:22:56
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Languages
- English
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Levels
- Lexile® Measure: 940
- Text Difficulty: 4-6
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Reviews
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Starred review from October 3, 2022
Things are meant to be looking up for biracial Latina Iveliz Margarita Snow Medina after “everything that happened.” The 12-year-old poet is attempting to manage her medication and no longer in active therapy, she’s close with her Afghan friend Amir Nishat, and her beloved abuelita Mimi has just come from Puerto Rico to stay with her and her mother. That Mimi has Alzheimer’s and that Iveliz’s medication isn’t working are things Iveliz doesn’t want to think about, let alone discuss with others, especially her mother, who feels increasingly distant following Iveliz’s original crisis. As her mental health deteriorates and school relationships become more difficult, Iveliz begins both lashing out and turning inward. But to end her isolation and begin healing, she must confront the origins of her depression: her father, and the role he plays in her life. Arango (Westwood Monster Patrol) features frank discussions of racism and xenophobia as well as underdiscussed and seldom-represented manifestations of childhood grief and trauma, including self-harm and suicidal ideation. It’s a candid narrative told in quick-moving, rapport-like verse, made accessible by Iveliz’s sarcastically funny, authentically tween voice. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 10–14. Author’s agent: Rebecca Eskildsen, Writers House. -
Narrator Raquel Merediz shines with warmth and compassion in this moving performance. Middle school student Iveliz is severely depressed; she has PTSD because she saw her father die in an accident. Her grandmother, Mimi, comes to live with her and her mother, which adds to Iveliz's stress because Mimi has Alzheimer's. Iveliz is also struggling with school and friendships. She is wary of medication and therapy, and her grandmother's negative views about psychology are not helping. Learning how to cope with her anger and sadness is ongoing. Merediz compassionately voices all the characters in an emotionally demanding performance. She jumps from English to Puerto-Rican Spanish seamlessly. Her vocal range is very impressive, and she successfully portrays characters of a variety of ages and genders. A.M. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine -
April 1, 2023
Gr 6-10-"I've moved on from everything/ that happened," Iveliz insists. "I don't need anyone's help but my own." The seventh grader regularly pens verses in her journal to record her "true inner thoughts./ And if you can't trust a girl and her poems/ well." She's taking her meds, her beloved Puerto Rican grandmother is moving in, a new friendship looms. Despite her declared self-reliance, she's missing her father, avoiding her mother, her grandmother's Alzheimer's proves unpredictable, and facing racism and bullying at school. Mellifluously bilingual Merediz effortlessly enhances Arango's Newbery Honor-winning debut, notably punctuated with untranslated Spanish stanzas. Merediz's impressive emotive range-from denial to aching to regret to glimmering hope-ensures attentive engagement to the satisfyingly concluding, "how lucky I am/ to finally be seen/ by people who understand." VERDICT Share with anxious tweens and teens facing loss to show they're not alone.
Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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