Pinterest tracking pixel
If you are having difficulty navigating this website please contact us at member.services@bookofthemonth.com or 1-877-236-8540.
Oops! The page didn’t load right. Please refresh and try again.
All booksYoung adultWith the Fire on High
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
Young adult

With the Fire on High

by Elizabeth Acevedo

Quick take

Fire up the oven, because this inspiring story of family and ambition will make your stomach grumble.

Good to know

  • Illustrated icon, Icon_400

    400+ pages

  • Illustrated icon, Icon_Feminist

    Feminist

  • Illustrated icon, Icon_SocialIssues

    Social issues

  • Illustrated icon, Icon_WellKnownAuthor

    Famous author

Why I love it

Liberty Hardy
BOTM Judge

Elizabeth Acevedo serves up another fabulous book in this story of a talented teen chef trying to follow her dreams. This was one of the most inspiring YA novels I’ve read in a long time. It will tickle your taste buds and warm your heart!

Ever since she was little, Emori has been an amazing cook. Herhome is a loving place filled with laughter and amazing food. She, her two-year-old daughter, and her abuela don’t have much money, but they have each other.

Then Emori returns to high school for her senior year, and learns about the chance of a lifetime: a class in culinary arts that culminates in a trip to Spain. Emori knows that the trip is not something her family can afford, and that she should be spending her time looking for a steady job instead of chasing her dreams.

… But wouldn’t it be great if she could do both?

I positively loved this novel! Emori is an amazing character. She’s smart, and strong, and she’s an amazing mother. And her story of family, following your dreams, and struggling with life’s tough choices is so real that it almost felt like a memoir. OH, AND THE FOOD—the descriptions are incredible! (Pro tip: Don’t read this on an empty stomach.)

Read less

Synopsis

Ever since she got pregnant freshman year, Emoni Santiago’s life has been about making the tough decisions—doing what has to be done for her daughter and her abuela. The one place she can let all that go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness.

Even though she dreams of working as a chef after she graduates, Emoni knows that it’s not worth her time to pursue the impossible. Yet despite the rules she thinks she has to play by, once Emoni starts cooking, her only choice is to let her talent break free.

Read less

Preview

Check out a preview of With the Fire on High.

Read a sample →

Member thoughts

All (1196)
All (1196)
Love (828)
Like (347)
Dislike (21)
1218 ratings
  • 68% Love
  • 28% Like
  • 2% Dislike
    Young adult
    • As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow
    • The Downstairs Girl
    • These Violent Delights
    • Legendborn
    • Anna K Away
    • A Wilderness of Stars
    • Firekeeper's Daughter
    • Instructions for Dancing
    • The Boy in the Red Dress
    • Color Me In
    • Not So Pure and Simple
    • Throw Like a Girl
    • Frankly in Love
    • The Queen of Nothing
    • On the Come Up
    • Wayward Son
    • The Stars and the Blackness Between Them
    • Hearts, Strings, and Other Breakable Things
    • Anna K
    • The Rest of the Story
    • The Red Scrolls of Magic
    • This Time Will Be Different
    • Patron Saints of Nothing
    • Yes No Maybe So
    • The Gilded Wolves
    • Permanent Record
    • Full Disclosure
    • Oasis
    • Where the World Ends
    • I Have No Secrets
    • Song of the Crimson Flower
    • When the Stars Lead to You
    • All the Bright Places
    • Saving Zoë
    • Hello Girls
    • Symptoms of a Heartbreak
    • All of Us with Wings
    • The Boy and Girl Who Broke the World
    • Past Perfect Life
    • There's Something About Sweetie
    • Again, But Better
    • Sky Without Stars
    • How (Not) to Ask a Boy to Prom
    • Night Music
    • Opposite of Always
    • Shout
    • The Field Guide to the North American Teenager
    • The Deceivers
    • Enchantée
    • The Astonishing Color of After
    • Top Ten
    • Turtles All the Way Down
    • Little & Lion
    • A Million Junes
    • And We're Off
    • The Impossible Fortress
    • The Most Dangerous Place on Earth
    • You Will Know Me
    • The Sun Is Also a Star
    • Salt to the Sea
    • Bloodmarked
    • Foul Lady Fortune
    • I Must Betray You