January 27, 2026 by Roaring Brook Press
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
In this sequel to her Big Apple Diaries, a memoir of her middle school years leading up to 9/11, Bermudez recounts her experiences starting high school in New York City. Her new school is all girls and requires uniforms. She struggles a bit to make friends, and isn't happy that her parents are insisting that she participate in a sport. She would rather draw, but starts running for the cross country team, even though she has neve really run. She's done a lot of biking with her father, who is divorced from her mother and remarried to a woman who has a daughter a little older than she is, but running is different. Her father, who has suffered from kidney issues for quite some time, hasn't been doing well, and it's hard to watch someone who has been so active be unable to catch his breath after mild exertion. The cross country season (which starts in mid October) goes fairly well, and Alyssa throws herself into indoor track, doing better and feeling more confident in her abilities. In the summer, she goes off to camp again, where she reconnects with her boyfriend from the previous summer, Nick. When her father passes away, she has to go home, but chooses to return to camp rather than sitting alone at home. Her family is supportive, and her father's three wives are all able to get along and reminisce about her father, but Alyssa is devastated by her loss and takes some time to find a comfortable new normal.
Strengths: Readers who enjoyed finding out about Bermudez' early 2000s life will want to catch up with her further adventures. I'm always looking for books about cross country, and appreciated that while Bermudez didn't initially want to run, she eventually took some pleasure and pride in the sport, and running helped her process her grief over her father's loss. The artwork is attractive, and the details about life at this time are good. There are so many young people today dealing with blended families, so it is always good to see these portrayed.
Weaknesses: Because this is a memoir, there isn't as much of a plot as my students usually prefer, and the book is on the contemplative, sad side, despite the vibrant cover.
What I really think: The family issues reminde me a bit of MacLeod's Intercontinental Drifter, and readers who enjoyed seeing how graphic novel artists started out with their Chang's How to Draw a Secret, Rodriguez's Doodles from the Boogie Down.
Weaknesses: Because this is a memoir, there isn't as much of a plot as my students usually prefer, and the book is on the contemplative, sad side, despite the vibrant cover.
What I really think: The family issues reminde me a bit of MacLeod's Intercontinental Drifter, and readers who enjoyed seeing how graphic novel artists started out with their Chang's How to Draw a Secret, Rodriguez's Doodles from the Boogie Down.
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