FEW BLUE SKIES

In the historically agricultural Southern California town of San Fermín, high school senior Paloma laments the changes around her.

The vast green spaces are being replaced by warehouses for the mega-corporation Selva, where her father and other farmworkers are now employed: “a tomb where the trees used to be. A massive block of gray where there had been pasture.” Sometimes school is canceled because of pollution from the exhaust of Selva’s semitrucks. People are getting sick and dying. After learning that another warehouse will be built next to Paloma’s school, her mother wants to move home to Pasto Verde. In that mostly white college town, she and Pa can work in the family’s Mexican restaurant. But community-minded Pa insists on finishing the strike for better working conditions at the Selva warehouse. Julio, Paloma’s ex-boyfriend and former best friend, resurfaces after their devastating breakup, hoping she’ll collaborate with him on a life-changing college scholarship project. Paloma must navigate the pressures of her fracturing home life with her rekindling feelings for Julio. Set against a backdrop of dismal polluted skies, this novel feels dystopian but is inspired by real concerns. Pura Belpré Award winner Ixta’s sophomore novel is a nuanced and deftly woven story that will inspire readers to examine their own moral compasses.

Strong writing and a layered, evocative exploration of hope make this a standout.