With the Fire on High

Emoni Santiago starts her senior year as the single mom of a toddler living with her grandmother in Philadelphia. She loves to cook, and her grandmother says she has a gift, improvising recipes to create meals that evoke memories from her youth in Puerto Rico. Still, Emoni struggles to decide whether she should take the new culinary arts class that will culminate in a trip to Spain. She knows she should probably take an off period instead, so she can focus on her classes, and she has no idea how she could ever pay for the trip, but she can't resist. She dreams of one day becoming a chef, and she knows this class could provide important experience for her. She decides to go for it, and as a result of joining the class, she finds herself warding off the advances of a handsome and polite new student named Malachi and the insults of Pretty Leslie who wants Malachi for herself. The author, Elizabeth Acevedo, elevates this novel above that of a typical teenage drama with descriptive details and expert characterization. Emoni is a complex young woman struggling with intense issues. The dialog is believable, and the imagery makes this book a feast for the senses. With the Fire on High is a beautiful story of struggling for a better life while learning to trust others.