Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, Bookish Wisdom earns from qualifying purchases. This doesn't change our picks or your price.
Quick answer: If you loved Clap When You Land, try The Poet X, With the Fire on High, In the Time of the Butterflies, Dominicana, How the García Girls Lost Their Accents and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Each one explores grief, family secrets, sisterhood or Dominican American life with real emotional force.
Elizabeth Acevedo's novel in verse follows Camino in the Dominican Republic and Yahaira in New York City, two girls who learn they share a father only after he dies in a plane crash. As they grieve, they also discover each other and the double life he led. Readers love its musical language, its honest grief and its bond between two sisters. These books share its heart, its cultural richness and its strong young women.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Age | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Poet X | Elizabeth Acevedo | YA | readers who want more Acevedo in verse |
| With the Fire on High | Elizabeth Acevedo | YA | readers who want prose from the same author |
| In the Time of the Butterflies | Julia Alvarez | Adult/YA | readers who want Dominican history |
| Dominicana | Angie Cruz | Adult | readers drawn to the New York immigrant story |
| How the García Girls Lost Their Accents | Julia Alvarez | Adult | readers who love sister stories |
| The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao | Junot Díaz | Adult | older readers who want a family saga |
| Far from the Tree | Robin Benway | YA | readers who like newly found siblings |
| Yolk | Mary H.K. Choi | YA | readers who like difficult sisters |
| The Astonishing Color of After | Emily X.R. Pan | YA | readers who want grief and hidden family |
| We Are Okay | Nina LaCour | YA | readers who want quiet grief |
| I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter | Erika L. Sánchez | YA | readers who like family secrets |
| Long Way Down | Jason Reynolds | YA | readers who want another verse novel |
| The Sun Is Also a Star | Nicola Yoon | YA | readers who like New York romance |
| Shout | Laurie Halse Anderson | YA | readers who want a powerful verse memoir |
| The Crossover | Kwame Alexander | Ages 10-13 | younger readers who want verse |
1. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
A Dominican American girl in Harlem finds her voice through slam poetry.
Best for: readers who want more Acevedo in verse.
2. With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
A teen mother in Philadelphia dreams of becoming a chef.
Best for: readers who want prose from the same author.
3. In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
Four sisters stand up to the Trujillo dictatorship.
Best for: readers who want Dominican history.
4. Dominicana by Angie Cruz
A Dominican teen is married off and brought to 1960s Washington Heights.
Best for: readers drawn to the New York immigrant story.
5. How the García Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
Four sisters adjust to America after their family flees the Dominican Republic.
Best for: readers who love sister stories.
6. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
A nerdy Dominican American boy and his family face a generational curse.
Best for: older readers who want a family saga.
7. Far from the Tree by Robin Benway
Three siblings separated by adoption find one another as teens.
Best for: readers who like newly found siblings.
8. Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi
Two estranged Korean American sisters are pushed back together in New York.
Best for: readers who like difficult sisters.
9. The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan
A girl travels to Taiwan after her mother's death to meet her grandparents.
Best for: readers who want grief and hidden family.
10. We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
A college student alone in a winter dorm faces the loss she ran from.
Best for: readers who want quiet grief.
11. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez
A girl investigates the life of her dead sister and finds surprises.
Best for: readers who like family secrets.
12. Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
A teen rides an elevator with a gun and the ghosts of his past.
Best for: readers who want another verse novel.
13. The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
Two teens meet on the day one of them is due to be deported.
Best for: readers who like New York romance.
14. Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson
The author of Speak tells her own story in free verse.
Best for: readers who want a powerful verse memoir.
15. The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
Twin basketball stars face change when their father's health begins to fail.
Best for: younger readers who want verse.
How to Choose
Stay with Acevedo first: The Poet X is the closest match in form, while With the Fire on High shows the same warmth in prose. If the Dominican setting spoke to you, read In the Time of the Butterflies and How the García Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez, then Dominicana. Older readers can move on to The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, which is much rougher in language and content. If the newly found sister was what moved you, try Far from the Tree and Yolk. If grief is what you want to sit with, We Are Okay and The Astonishing Color of After are beautifully written but quieter, and they suit a slow reading pace.
Related: Why Do I Fall Asleep When I Read? · What Age Is The Land of Stories Appropriate For? A Parent’s Guide
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Clap When You Land about?
Two teen girls, one in the Dominican Republic and one in New York, learn they are sisters after their father dies in a plane crash.
Is Clap When You Land written in verse?
Yes. The whole novel is told in poems, alternating between the voices of Camino and Yahaira.
Was Clap When You Land inspired by a real event?
Yes. Acevedo was inspired by American Airlines Flight 587, which crashed in New York in 2001 on its way to the Dominican Republic.
What age is Clap When You Land for?
It is usually recommended for ages 14 and up, since it deals with grief and some difficult situations.
Is Clap When You Land sad?
Yes, there is plenty of grief in it, but the bond between the sisters makes it hopeful too.
Do you need to read The Poet X first?
No. The two novels are separate, so you can start with either one.