This Is How We Fly

Starred review from November 9, 2020
In this “Cinderella” retelling, 17-year-old vegan, gender-questioning Ellen Lopez-Rourke, who is Mexican American, planned to spend her summer with best friends Xiumiao and Melissa. But when Ellen ends up grounded and Xiumiao decides to move on from her crush on Melissa, who’s straight, Ellen finds herself allowed one outlet: quidditch. What begins as an excuse to get out of the house soon becomes much more as Ellen finds fellowship among the players, many of whom are socially conscious feminists like herself, from a range of experiences and backgrounds. As she struggles to navigate relationships with her friends and demanding stepmother, Ellen must also reckon with and accept her own role in the shifting bonds. Through a conversational first-person voice that firmly grounds the reader in the main character’s inner tumult, Meriano portrays Ellen’s heightened awareness and dedication to social equity and inclusion alongside the timeless sense of unease that comes with new beginnings and major change. Readers will find much to appreciate about Ellen’s fresh, relatable journey to define herself on her own terms. Ages 12–up. Agent: Patricia Nelson, Marsal Lyon Literary.