Seventeen-year-old Lil has been arrested and is in a creative writing workshop in secure detention as she navigates a bad case of bubble guts. This engrossing opening will hook readers who like realistic urban fiction, and will help them explore the book’s Washington DC setting through the narrator’s Dominican- El Salvadorian perspective. 

Short chapters, some written in prose and some in poetry, follow Lil as she goes home with an ankle monitor, watches a loved one contend with a deepening mental health crisis, makes new friends, and falls in love.  All this while she must figure out her post-secondary plans when her freedom is not promised.  Highly recommended for independent reading and bookclubs, this emotionally intelligent novel offers insights to all readers.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Teachers may access a four-page educator guide by Amanda Torres here.