Ultraviolet
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A PURA BELPRÉ AWARD HONOR BOOK
Sometimes life explodes in technicolor.
In the spirit of Judy Blume, award-winning author Aida Salazar tells it like it is about puberty, hormones, and first love in this hilarious, heartwarming, and highly relatable coming-of-age story. Perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds, Kwame Alexander, and Adib Khorram.
"Savagely funny and deeply human." -New York Times Review
* "Stunning...A story that sings to the soul." -Kirkus Reviews, starred review
For Elio Solis, eighth grade fizzes with change-His body teeming with hormones. His feelings that flow like lava. His relationship with Pops, who's always telling him to man up, the Solis way. And especially Camelia, his first girlfriend.
But then, betrayal and heartbreak send Elio spiraling toward revenge, a fight to prove his manhood, and defend Camelia's honor. He doesn't anticipate the dire consequences-or that Camelia's not looking for a savior.
Ultraviolet digs deep into themes of consent, puberty, masculinity, and the emotional lives of boys, as it challenges stereotypes and offers another way to be in the world.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
When 13-year-old Elio Solis starts eighth grade and notices that all of his classmates have begun pairing up, he doesn't understand their interest in love, until he meets Camelia. Suddenly, "all this love stuff smacked me/ on the jaw/ like a good right hook/ and knocked/ me/ out." They start dating, and Elio experiences the world in ultraviolet ("Glow in the dark outrageous./ It's what I see when Camelia's around") as they sneak kisses, share smoothies, and spend as much time together as possible. After their relationship ends badly and abruptly, Elio is left dealing with tumultuous feelings of anger, despair, and grief, which are amplified by the hormonal changes he experiences while undergoing puberty. Pops says he needs to "man up," but Moms wants him to break away from toxic displays of masculinity. In a succinct, conversational style, Salazar (A Seed in the Sun) humorously and introspectively depicts the effects of puberty on Elio's everyday life as he grapples with confusing messaging he receives about how to be a man. Issues around consent and patriarchal systems are handled with insight and sensitivity, culminating in a compassionate verse novel about first love, heartbreak, and vulnerability. Most characters are Latinx. Ages 10–up.
