Book cover for Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

Clap When You Land

2020 Released
304 Pages
2-3 Hours
★ 4.22 78,594 ratings
Quill Tree BooksISBN 9780062882783

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 devastating family secrets—the two teenage sisters 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!

  • Two Sisters, Two Worlds: Camino in the Dominican Republic and Yahaira in New York City live separate lives, completely unaware that the father they both adore is the same man.
  • A Life-Altering Tragedy: When their father's plane crashes, both girls are plunged into a grief that unearths a lifetime of secrets and lies.
  • A Lyrical Novel in Verse: Told from dual perspectives, this powerful story unfolds in stunning, poetic verse that captures the heartbreak and hope of finding family.
  • Navigating Grief and Forgiveness: Forced to connect, Camino and Yahaira must navigate their shared sorrow and decide if they can forgive the hero who was also a stranger.

Elizabeth Acevedo

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 Prize 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 and Cantomundo, and a participant in the Callaloo Writer’s Workshops. She is a National Poetry Slam Champion, and resides in Washington, DC, with her family.

More by Elizabeth Acevedo

Why Readwise Books?

Readwise Books is an ebook & audiobook platform that automatically logs how much you and your friends read, making it fun and easy to read more. Learn more →