With the Fire on High From the winner of the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2019

I really enjoyed reading it. Emoni is a strong girl who fights for what she wants. I liked how the relationships (incl. the problems) made so much sense and were authentic. It‘s so full of love and so much worth reading it!

Usually a strong and badass heroine in books kills dragons or fights demons but in With the Fire on High our main character shows her strength by being an amazing mom, caring about her family and putting her daughter first at all times. Emoni is an Afro-Puerto Rican teen that already has to deal with stereotypes and a difficult family constellation but then she ends up pregnant in her freshman year of high school. Most of the books that deal with teen pregnancy address the difficult decision of keeping the baby, giving it away or abortion. With the Fire on High shines a completely different light on the situation as it deals with life after having the baby. Emoni is an aspiring chef and I loved all of the recipes and food metaphors. I could really tell that it was her passion and the way she cooked and made others feel with her dishes was almost magical. There’s so much diversity and important representation in this book. It felt real and authentic and I loved learning more about Emoni’s heritage and culture. There was an amazing cast of characters: I loved Abuela Gloria and Angelica and Malachi and Chef Ayden. They all played an important role and weren’t forgotten halfway through the book. The writing was beautiful and I’m glad I decided to pick up the audiobook as well because it was amazing.

After reading "The Poet X" by Elizabeth Acevedo I definitely had to read this. And I didn't get disappointed. I love Acevedos writing and the story was beautiful. It was a wonderful story about love and friendship and family and food. I especially loved the food part. There are also some nice recipes inside and I got pretty hungry while reading. Anyway it was a wonderful story and I really recommend it to everyone.