This is How We Fly

Ellen is biding her time in the heat of a Houston summer until she goes off to college. She and her friends are going to different schools, so they\’re going to spend every waking moment together. Until, that is, they aren\’t able to. Ellen is suddenly grounded for the entire summer, and her carefree dreams have flown out the window. Yet, Ellen is able to squeeze some leniency out of the situation by becoming part of a Quidditch team in the area. Full of all sorts of teenagers her age, the game is much more hands-on that she expected at first, and rather than riding magic brooms and whacking bludgers, practice involves dodge balls and running around with PVC pipe. At least this is better than staring at the ceiling all summer, and her friend Melissa joined the team also. As Ellen becomes more involved with the team, her longtime high school friends increasingly pull away, and her life at home becomes increasingly negative and untenable. Can Ellen find the same magic in the rest of her life that she feels on the Quidditch field? I enjoyed this coming-of-age story about finding your tribe, embracing new experiences, and realizing that sometimes the people we view as family or even friends aren\’t always the people who will bring light and happiness to our lives. I\’ve seen this book described as something of a retelling of Cinderella, and while there\’s an evil stepmother of sorts who gives Ellen a lot of grief, the rest of the story doesn\’t support that idea very much. In particular, and unlike Cinderella, there is no prince charming coming to Ellen\’s aid, and she is an unapologetic feminist who isn\’t afraid to call people out on racism, homophobia, or social justice. Ellen is also fiercely protective of her little sister, and genuinely tries to be a good person in the face of unfortunate circumstances with family and friends. A lot of the central tension surrounds Ellen\’s relationship with her parents, with her stepmother being mean and rude to her, and her father allowing the hurtful behavior to continue. It was easy to see the danger of engaging negatively with children while assuaging the conscience with notions of, \”I was just trying to protect you and do right by you.\” I think a good portion of the message here is that it is more important to engage compassionately and understand children, particularly as they grow into young adulthood, rather than to attempt to control their behavior, define who they will become, and limit their potential. This is How We Fly is a tense, feminist, beautiful coming-of-age story about a young woman attempting to navigate the last vestiges of childhood and finding a sense of identity with new experiences and people. I recommend this book if you like a good coming-of-age story, can identify with feeling like the \”other\”, or if you like to read stories about strong girls navigating difficult situations against the odds. ‼ CW: Harry Potter and J.K.Rowling ‼⁣

I got this book for my Harry Potter obsessed daughter. She read it and then I did. It wasn’t as fun as I thoight it would be and had some language in it I didn’t expect. It dealt a lot with self identity and sexuality which I also didn’t expect. A pretty fast read

I am so glad that there is a book that brings up the questions that are not easy, that are totally reasonable and aren\’t often talked about. This book is not just for young adults, but also those young adults\’ parents and even grandparents.

Quidditch and teen angst are the perfect catalysts for this fun and entertaining read. This is How We Fly (TiHWF) has a bit of a Cinderella feel to it but Ellen, the quirky yet mostly loveable protagonist isn’t going to any fancy ball. Instead, she’s off to join a Quidditch team that teaches her more about herself and who she wants to be in life than any ball a pumpkin carriage could cart her to. It’s the summer after senior year and the summer before college, Ellen is at odds with her friends, at odds with her wicked step-mother- who, of course, loads Ellen down with a never-ending chore list – and when Ellen acts out and ends up grounded for the summer, she has one thing to get her out of the house: Quidditch! Ellen follows her friend to a Quidditch practice and what she finds there is a level of acceptance amongst the players that she hasn’t found anywhere else. I always say I love a good character driven story but TiHWF is both strongly character and plot driven. I have to say the Muggle Quidditch team gave me serious FOMO and oh man, how I wish there was a team by me! Aside from my Quidditch FOMO, Meriano addresses the issues that young women face in that in-between space between high school and college. That yawning abyss of being both a teen and an adult and the struggle to find the balance between who you want to be, who everyone expects you to be and who you actually are. While Ellen is certainly a flawed character, she is much like many teen girls and faces the same struggles with acceptance, immaturity – especially with relationships, and the restlessness of that last summer before adulthood takes over. I didn’t always like Ellen but I did understand her. This is a coming-of-age story that really gave me all the feels. Fighting for what you believe in and learning to be unashamedly proud of who you are is an important message that everyone needs to hear. My thanks to Penguin Teen and author Anna Meriano for providing me with a DRC of This is How We Fly!

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