About this book

It's finally summer—heck, yeah!

With eigth grade done, Elio Solis plans to lock in on his gaming and show the fellas what he's got.

Celi Rivera and her bestie are headed to Hawaii to sun, skate, and search content for her channel.

But those dreams end when a catfishing incident rocks their Oakland community. Suddenly, parents are nosing in posts, taking phones, and laying down lectures about screen-time safety and well-being. Suddenly, Celi and Elio find themselves sent to rural Mexico, without internet, electricity, or even running water save for a dying stream that could wipe out the whole pueblo in the coming summer rains.

Helping curanderas in a healing clinic...
carting sticks to rehabilitate the arroyo...
turn summer dreams to misery!

But day by day, in nature, beauty, and community, with crushes blooming, can they find their way to each other—and slowly back to themselves?

Reviews

Praise for Stream:

★ "Slowly learning to care for themselves and others, they [Elio and Celi] unearth their true selves and reconnect to homeland, community, and nature...Their [Elio and Celi] distinct, realistic voices harmonize to form a powerful contemporary coming-of-age story of navigating digital detox, puberty, emotional growth, and gender and adulthood." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "[Stream] weaves together a dual narrative of relatable story lines, including coming-of-age emotions, screen addiction, feminism, environmentalism, and connecting with family and cultures. . . .Poetic devices including anaphora, imagery, contrapuntal, and free verse draw the reader into Celi and Elio’s worlds, painting beautiful scenes and narratives with rhythmic poems and humor." —Booklist, starred review

"Spare, briskly paced lines sensitively explore addiction, bicultural identity, and body image. The result is an accessible, heartwarming story that offers timely reflections on authenticity in the digital age." —Publisher's Weekly

Praise for Ultraviolet:

A PURA BELPRÉ AWARD HONOR BOOK

ALA Notable Children's Book

School Library Journal Best Book

“Savagely funny and deeply human. . . .Each poem bursts with energy…Weaves sharp, witty social commentary into the narrative without being didactic. . . . Salazar, whose son helped inspire the novel, depicts Elio’s emotional trajectory with grace and empathy. Ultraviolet beautifully captures the essence of what it means to be a boy trying to make himself into a good man.” —The New York Times Book Review

★ “Salazar writes from a place of abundant empathy. . . . Her frank but thoughtful approach to puberty and sexuality . . . provides valuable life lessons to young readers without tilting into preachiness. . . . Could inspire in-depth conversations on the broad spectrum of coming-of-age narratives and experiences. Yet another heartfelt and accessible tale of growing up from one of the best in modern children’s literature.” —School Library Journal, starred review

★ “Written in Salazar’s stunning and highly accessible verse . . . this novel stands out for the thoughtful way it expresses a young boy’s perspective as it discusses topics such as masculinity and consent. . . . A story that sings to the soul.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ “In a succinct, conversational style, Salazar (A Seed in the Sun) humorously and introspectively depicts the effects of puberty on Elio’s everyday life as he grapples with confusing messaging he receives about how to be a man. Issues around consent and patriarchal systems are handled with insight and sensitivity, culminating in a compassionate verse novel about first love, heartbreak, and vulnerability.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ “Salazar’s verse is captivating. . .Commenting on topics that range from patriarchy to colonialism, the internet to peer pressure, and first loves to heartbreaks, Salazar delivers a fully intersectional look at what it means to try to embody masculinity without toxicity. She filled a gap she saw in middle grade literature, and countless readers will see themselves in the pages, regardless of race or gender, but especially Latino boys.” —BookPage, starred review

"Ultraviolet is a lyrical explosion, true and beautiful, of the pains and joys of growing into a good man." — Francisco X. Stork, award-winning author of I Am Not Alone and Marcelo in the Real World

"Honest and poignant. Aida Salazar hits the mark with this important and intensely relatable tale that perfectly captures the angst of growing up. A true gift to maturing tweens everywhere." — Ernesto Cisneros, award-winning author of Efrén Divided

Distinctions and Praise for The Moon Within:

International Latino Book Award Finalist

NCTE Notable Poetry Book

A Spring 2019 Kids Indie Next List selection

★ "A worthy successor to Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret set in present-day Oakland.... Salazar's verse novel is sensitive and fresh.... An authentically middle school voice and diverse Latinx cast make this book a standout." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "An excellent addition for upper middle grade and middle school readers, especially for maturing tweens in the midst of puberty." -- School Library Journal, starred review

* "Writing in clear, lyrical first-person verse.... With sensitivity, Salazar purports that menstruation is a source of feminine strength, inexorably and beautifully connected to the moon cycle. The broader message is one of acceptance, celebration, and resistance: a period is just a period, Salazar suggests, but it's also so much more." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "An important coming-of-age tale of a girl learning about her changing body and all of the questions and revelations that come along with it.... Salazar's use of verse in this story adds a layer of raw emotion and honesty that makes the reading experience all the more poignant. The Moon Within is both unique and universal, relatable to women and girls everywhere and singular in its context within Latinx culture. Salazar handles this story with beauty and grace, giving young girls a picture of what it means to stand in your own power and reclaim your own story. " —Bookpage, starred review

"This story is told in beautiful poems.... A lovely, relatable story....The words really use up the space on the pages in creative ways, and the author reveals cultural aspects of Latinx (especially Xicana) and Caribbean peoples in rich detail." —Booklist

"Salazar's language is frank and rich, using occasional Spanish or Mexica/Nahuatl words.... Realistic and rich in poetic imagery, this middle-grade novel focuses on a multicultural community in which supportive adults help young people figure out their identities." —Shelf Awareness

"Lyrical.... The characters leap to life and eloquently evoke the passion and pain of a girl's coming-of-age. Absolutely beautiful, reverent, and intensely personal, the book would make a valued gift for pre-teen readers, especially a young Latina." —

School Library Connection

"This is a fascinating tale that blends ancestral traditions from two cultures, while portraying modern dilemmas. Salazar's poetry is as lovely and graceful as the dance scenes." —Margarita Engle, National Young People's Poet Laureate and Newbery Honor-winning author of The Surrender Tree

"With conga-pulsed lyrics, Aida Salazar pulls us into the coming of age of eleven year Celi. She initiates readers into the conversation of Bomba, the girl-woman circle, divine twin energies and the many moon-tide powers of a Latina pre-teen. This is a book whose form and content, vision and depth, I find revolutionary and culturally ecstatic. In these times, here is the liberation verse our youth and all have been waiting for - Brava-Bravo!" —Juan Felipe Herrera, U.S. Poet Laureate and author of Jabberwalking

"Aida Salazar has reached deep into our indigenous past to explore in beautiful, poignant poetry what it means to become a woman at the intersection of community and self. Rooted in ancestral lore yet vibrantly modern, The Moon Within is a touching, powerful, and important novel in verse." —David Bowles, Pura Belpré Honor-winning author of The Smoking Mirror

"In a vivid, magical debut, Aida Salazar's lyrical poetry deftly pulls you into Celi's vibrant world as she reluctantly dances towards womanhood, adjusting to the drumbeats of first love and true friendship while exploring her ancestral roots as she finds her role within family and community."—Naheed H. Senzai, award-winning author of Shooting Kabul and Escape From Aleppo

"Lovely and amazing...a heartbreaker, in every wonderful way. Salazar's vivid and accessible verse brings us the coming-of-age story we've been longing for. Poignant, funny, and deeply moving, The Moon Within is a story told with an abundance of love and respect-a gift straight from the center of Salazar's heart to readers everywhere." —Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, author of Eighth-Grade Superzero and co-author of Naomis Too