Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Yolanda's grasp on reality crumbles along with the World Trade Center after her beloved Uncle DJ is injured on September 11. Still coping with a tragic incident from her past in Iowa, Yolanda's fear after this new calamity is palpable through the poetry used as the vehicle to tell her story. The bond between Yolanda and her uncle is portrayed through loving letters, which she keeps in an empty cereal box and rereads as Uncle DJ struggles for his life. Likening the ash blanketing the city to the voices of lives lost, Yolanda vows to collect the silvery dust in exchange for her uncle's life. The poetry itself is more complex than those in other verse novels for young adults—particularly due to the many Spanish words and phrases—but the glossary is quite helpful for comprehension. The Puerto Rican flavor of this lyrical, authentic novella will appeal to urban Latinas especially, but anyone touched by the events of September 11 will relate to Yolanda's story. (Fiction. YA) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

After her uncle DJ is injured on September 11, 2001, Yolanda makes a manda (promise) to collect the dust that blankets her Lower East Side neighborhood, reclaiming the voices that were silenced and confronting her own turbulent past. An emotionally powerful but occasionally confusing blend of letters and sophisticated free verse, the novel smoothly blends Spanish words into the narrative. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.