Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

 Clap When You Land

February 7th, 2024

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo, 2020, Verse, 417 pages

Goodreads Choice Awards for Young Adult Fiction Winner , YALSA's Teens' Top Ten Nominee, 2021 Carnegie Medal Shortlist

Camino, a teenage girl living in the Dominican Republic, hopes to one day fulfill her dreams of going to medical school in the United States. Yahaira, a teenage chess whiz living in New York City, harbors a secret that burns within her.  Camino and Yahaira live two completely different lives without knowing of each other's existence... until one plane crash leads to a discovery that changes both of their lives, and beliefs, forever. 

I have actually been dying to read Clap When You Land for awhile now based on the rave reviews it received (along with Acevedo's other novel The Poet X) since its publication in 2020. In fact, it's in my own classroom library! Truthfully, I had never read a book in verse before this novel. I knew this novel might open that door for me and get me out of my comfort zone. 

Teaching and Content Considerations:

Clap When You Land would work well as a mentor text during a poetry unit, as an independent reading novel, or perhaps in a literature circle unit revolving novels in verse. Although the book is quite long, students and teachers alike will move through it quickly--especially with the engaging plot line. Due to a reference of sexual assault and harassment, I would recommend this novel for 7th grade students and above. I  believe this novel would engage the interests of female readers the most due to its two female protagonists, focus on sisterhood, and identity as a female within their respective worlds, but male readers would find it gripping as well. Students with Hispanic backgrounds may also find this book particularly engaging with its two strong Hispanic protagonists. This novel is a great text for any reader who would like to "dip their toe" into the waters of verse novels. They will not want to put it down!

Instructional Ideas

Clap When You Land would serve as a wonderful text for students to practice comparing characters, different perspectives, and analyzing the impact setting has on characters' actions. As this is a novel written in verse, it is also great for analyzing poetry and teaching poetic techniques (i.e. figurative language, spacing, line breaks). While or after reading Acevedo's novel, students could write their own free verse poem that focuses on their identity. Teachers could use excepts of the novel to study how font and word/line spacing can add further meaning to the a poet's writing. Additionally, Clap When You Land is rich with themes such as family, identity, betrayal, grief, heritage, and forgiveness for students to discuss.  

Possible Read Aloud Passages

•  Page 8: "I am beginning to learn/ that life-altering news/is often like a premature birth"
• Camino reflects on the day she first heard the tragic news about her father. This page would be a great model for poems built around a simile or metaphor. 
• Page 11: "(Tia has a theory,/ that when bad news is coming/ the Saints will try to warn you"
• Camino describes how she felt right before learning the news about her father. Students can analyze the use of sensory language, repetition, and the meaning behind intentional line spacing.
• Page 31: "Last summer, when I learned my father's secret,/ it was like bank-style gates descended on my tongue"
• Yahaira flashes back to the moment she learned about her father's betrayal to her family. This passage would be great to use for comparing Yahaira vs Camino's reactions to their father's secret. Additionally, it could be another model for building a poem around a simile or metaphor.
• Page 144-145: "Mami, is a good woman, a good woman."
• Yahira struggles to keep a secret about her father from her mother. Excellent passage for analyzing inner conflict, conflicting identity, and the use of repetition. 
• Page 169 & 184: "Sometimes, Tia is more" and "The airline representatives/say."
• During the birth of her friend's baby and while Yahaira and her mom speak to the airline representatives 21 days after the crash. These passages are perfect for analyzing word/line spacing and the intention behind it. 
• Page 196: "A truth/you did not want/to know/can rot & grow mold/ in the pit/ of your stomach"
• Camino discovers she has a secret relative in the United States. Once again another great model for building a poem around a simile or metaphor , as well as comparing Camino and Yahaira's perspectives. Teachers might consider comparing this passage to Langston Hughes' "A Dream Deferred." 

Thoughts and Reflections

I was completely blown away by Acevedo's Clap When You Land. Acevedo crafts a truly compelling story about how one secret can completely unravel the lives and sense of self of those involved. As a woman myself, I found the characters to be realistic, strong, and incredibly brave. I also really enjoyed seeing the collision of cultures between Camino and Yahaira and the commonalities they find between them despite their grief. Furthermore, Acevedo's stunning writing style left my jaw on the floor. I could read this book one hundred times over and still find new meaning!

As a result of this book, I am anxious to read other texts by Acevedo, starting with The Poet X. This novel has made me realize that verse novels aren't just poetry--they can tell suspenseful, dynamic stories that make you want to keep on reading. I want my students to have the same enjoyable reading experience as me with this often overlooked genre! Hence, I need to explore more novels in verse written by a variety of different author for young adults. I will most likely start with a novel in verse that appeals to the interests of my male students, such as Booked by Alexander Kwame.