Few Blue Skies by Carolina Ixta
Quill Tree Books
Publisher summary: Paloma Vistamontes is heartbroken. A year ago, her ex-boyfriend, Julio Ramos, broke up with her after his father’s death, a tragedy that drove Paloma and him apart. Ever since then, the mountains have felt flatter, the sky farther away.
Now, her hometown of San Fermín, a place where honest people work on farms and in factories, is in danger. Selva, a massive e-commerce conglomerate, threatens to open one of their warehouses beside her high school.
This isn’t the first time they’ve done this. Since Selva arrived, they’ve opened warehouses everywhere where there used to be green spaces. Because of them, the air pollution is so bad that school is often canceled. Many people, including Paloma’s ever-practical Ma, want to leave.
But Paloma wants nothing more than to stay. Because when the smog clears, there is still hope. That hope drives Paloma to reconnect with Julio to expose and challenge the dangers that Selva introduces to communities like their own. Can they stop Selva from destroying everything they know? Is there still a chance for their budding romance?
My Thoughts: The cover on this one (designed by Jenna Stempel-Lobell) does get the message across. There are fewer and fewer blue skies in Paloma’s community and more and more air pollution. There is also a great quote from Tiffany Jewell that I found accurate, “Will break your heart and fill you with hope at the same time.”
This is one of those truly realistic books that does not sugar-coat things. The relationships are messy and people do what they think is their best in difficult situations. Sometimes the heartbreak comes from outside forces and sometimes it’s from within, but there certainly is plenty to go around.
Every main character is showing love, but not always in the ways that their loved ones understand or appreciate. They truly are making decisions based on what they believe to be the best course of action, but that’s only from their own perspective. That’s what makes this so heartbreaking. Paloma and the friends and family around her don’t behave maliciously and yet they sometimes appear to be betraying the ones they love.
Beyond the relationships, this is a book very much about finding ways to make a difference without ignoring or hiding the frustrations and realities of trying to make choices that align with your values. There’s a lot going on in this story and it made me think of how without change, Cindy Pon’s near-future sci-fi Want could become our reality. While this book doesn’t have a neat, tidy, Disney ending, it does offer hope and the thorough Author’s Note and Bibliography provide a lot of guidance and resources for people who want to know more and want to take action.
On a side note, I have been to rodeos, but have not gone to a jaripeo. This book gave me a small glimpse into them and of course I went down a rabbit hole on the internet then watching videos.
Recommendation: Get it soon particularly if you are interested in the environment or enjoy contemporary realistic fiction. Ixta shares a lot of information within a very engaging narrative around family and relationships and may help readers see ways in which they can work towards change in their communities.
Pages: 384
Review copy: Purchased
Availability: On shelves now
Extras:
Teaching Guide
Conversation with Author via SLAM
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