An Appetite for Miracles

This gorgeous and lyrical dual POV novel-in-verse, from award-winning author Laekan Zea Kemp, explores love, healing, and self-acceptance-perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo, Candice Iloh, and Nicola Yoon.

When Danna Mendoza Villarreal's grandfather's memory loss takes a downward spiral, she comes up with a plan to make Marcelino remember: she's going to make sure he eats all of the dishes he once reviewed. She and her cousin Victoria are going to help him remember through taste, through eating...even though Danna's love of food is the very thing her mother always seems to have a problem with.

Raul Santos and his uncle Mario play music for the elderly, helping people who can no longer remember via music therapy. But playing the guitar is also the only therapy Raul knows...he has been under water ever since his mother was wrongly incarcerated. For the past two years, he's been holding his breath, waiting for her to come back. And when she does, what is he supposed to do when she isn't the same person who left?

When Danna and Raul meet, sparks fly immediately and they embark on a mission to heal Marcelino...and themselves. Because healing is something best done together-even if healing doesn't always look the way we want it to.

An Amelia Walden Award Finalist
Winner of the Jean Flynn Award for Best Young Adult Book
A Kirkus Best YA and Teen Book of the Year
A Chicago Public Library Best of Year List Pick
A Spirit of Texas Reading List Pick
A TAYSHAS Reading List Pick
Bank Street College Best of 2023 Selection

"This is an earnest, stirring novel about staying open to hope and love despite the tremendous potential for, and certainty of, loss. Emotionally resonant and deeply moving."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Kemp's gorgeous verse is remarkable in its ability to capture both the unabashed euphoria of young love as well as the soul-crushing dealings with parents who are all too willing to project their trauma onto their kids."
--BCCB, starred review
*"A captivating and emotional coming-of-age tale that harmonizes magnificently in verse." --SLJ, starred review--SLJ, starred review
"Kemp employs striking food metaphors and similes to create a warm image of young love as well as a poignant perspective on the experience of caring for a loved one with dementia.... Fans of Acevedo's The Poet X will appreciate this novel's similar style and themes, which also touch on religion, body image, and Latine identity."--Horn Book
"As always, Kemp writes authentic, visceral characters. Though the novel is tinged with hints of loss, there is at its very core an undeniable joy."--Booklist
"By employing layered characterizations and dual perspectives rendered in lyrical prose, Kemp skillfully examines themes of anti-fat bias, generational trauma, and the prison-industrial complex, while simultaneously cultivating a tender love story."
--Publishers Weekly

Laekan Zea Kemp is the Pura Belpre Honor author of Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet, Heartbreak Symphony, and Omega Morales and the Legend of La Lechuza. Her work celebrates Chicane grit, resilience, creativity, and joy while exploring themes of identity and mental health. She lives in Austin, Texas. Laekan invites you to visit her at laekanzeakemp.com or follow her on Twitter @LaekanZeaKemp.

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