Thirteen-year-old Ava always feels caught in between. The Persian American girl struggles with her OCD and has trouble fitting in with either of her identities as she grows up in sunny 1980s California, but she finds confidence in surfing and in Phoenix, the boy teaching her. Through a free-verse narration, accompanied by Goto's woodblock-style illustrations, Ava comes into her own as Phoenix's lymphoma returns and Ava navigates the possibility of life without him. Farid (When You Breathe, 2020) brings her expertise as an MD to Ava's story, simplifying the complexity of lymphoma while packing an emotional punch with the musical references that Ava uses to cope. Through poetry, food, language, and traditions, Farid brings in elements of Persian culture, explaining them further in footnotes. As Ava confronts being a child of divorce and her mixed identity, along with the fear of losing Phoenix, she considers her world with a thoughtful and poetic lens. A solid selection for fans of The Brave (2020), by James Bird.

First-generation Persian American Ava is looking forward to spending the summer before ninth grade surfing and hanging out with her friends.These hopes are dashed when her single mother, a surgeon at the local hospital, signs her up to volunteer there, hoping this will inspire Ava to follow in her footsteps. In 1980s Southern California, Ava struggles with being a part of two cultures while feeling like an outsider in both. These feelings are compounded by her father's absence and her OCD. Music, surfing, and her friendship with neighbor Phoenix, a boy who is cued as White, provide a sense of belonging. When Phoenix's cancer comes back, Ava's left feeling adrift. Processing her feelings through music empowers Ava and gives her a new understanding of home and the connections she shares with others. Raw and powerful, this free verse novel honestly explores issues of identity, culture, grief, and hope. Ava's straightforward narration is sparse yet still manages to convey a lyrical sensibility: "I forget my body. / I forget the dread. / I forget the sweat. / I forget / who I have been and who left. / I only feel now o'clock. / Each note's a stitch. / I'm a cut, getting mended."Ava's journey is full of swells and surges, but like a true surfer, she realizes the joy is in taking the ride. Delicate, precise spot art enhances the text.Rich, layered, and heart-rending. (lyrics, mixtape tracks, information about Rumi, endnotes) (Verse novel. 11-14)

Gr 5 Up Ava's eighth grade year goes with the tumble of the waves she loves to surf as the young Persian girl battles the weight of her mother's expectations against her love for music and her best friend, Phoenix. When Phoenix's cancer comes back, Ava's grief takes over as they fight against the odds and for every moment with each other. Farid's poetry rides the page like a wave, charting the ups and downs of Ava's emotions. Small, thoughtful illustrations are peppered throughouta beating heart, a wave, a mixtapefurther making this tale feel fully devoted to Ava's consciousness. The verse format makes this text extremely accessible, and readers will be delighted to find elements of Ava's Persian heritage and 1980s childhood also woven throughout. VERDICT A lyrical novel in verse bearing the weight of childhood cancer and loss, but also with the lift of coming into one's own as an early teen and finding the right wave to ride. A solid addition to middle school libraries; encourage older readers to take a chance on it, as well. Aryssa Damron