The Girl, the Ring, & the Baseball Bat

November 20, 2023
Three New Jersey teens obtain magical items that will purportedly solve all their problems in this entrancing magical-realism novel by Gomera-Tavarez (High Spirits). Eager to escape her religious mother’s strict rules, Dominican American Rosie can’t wait to graduate and attend the Innovation Technical Institute. But following a physical altercation between her younger sister Caro and another classmate, who claims that Rosie was also involved, Rosie is kicked out of the Accelerated program, threatening her future pursuits. When she discovers a picture of her mother as a rebellious teen, Rosie—along with Caro and new friend Zeke, a queer Jamaican American who’s managing depression following his intolerant mother’s death—tracks down the sisters’ magic-practicing aunt. Rosie soon procures a jacket that grants her mind control powers; Zeke receives a set of rings that allow him to choose his soulmate; and Caro finds an enchanted baseball bat that fixes anything it breaks. Initially, the teens enjoy the gifts, until they realize the danger the items also wield. Via the three teens’ personable alternating perspectives, Gomera-Tavarez crafts a spell-binding tale that delves into Latin American culture, intergenerational trauma, and sexuality. Ages 12–up.

December 15, 2023
Gomera-Tavarez's sophomore novel brings three New Jersey teens together with talismans that are seemingly tailor-made for their struggles. Dominican Caro seeks to escape from Mami's constant critiques by defying her standards at nearly every turn, while her younger sister, Rosie, seeks an out through academic success. When Zeke, the new Jamaican kid from Miami, tags along on the sisters' covert trip to Queens, he finds his own outlet through their burgeoning friendship. The first-person narrative shifts among all three protagonists, highlighting each one's perspective on shared events, their particular struggles, and the discovery of their magical powers through the enchanted objects they find--a jacket, a baseball bat, and a pink stone. Rosie wrestles with her sense of justice and expectations of meritocracy as her dream of transferring to elite Innovation Technical Institute is stolen. Caro seeks to reform her rebellious ways but struggles with finding her own identity rather than one rooted in opposition to her mom. Though Zeke seems the most sure of who he his, his queer identity, and his ethos of living in the moment, he too struggles with a complicated maternal relationship, grieving the mom he felt never truly knew him. Though a coming-of-age quest for identity is at the heart of the unfolding drama, family challenges, generational trauma, and critiques of carceral systems and the underfunding of public schools are woven throughout, adding deep subplots leading up toward the ultimate climax. An original voice spins an urban, magically realistic, modern tale. (Fiction. 13-18)

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Starred review from January 1, 2024
Grades 10-12 *Starred Review* When sisters Caro and Rosie, along with the new boy, Zeke, come to possess three magical items, they suddenly have the power to make their lives so much easier. Caro's baseball bat can fix anything it breaks, Rosie's jacket gives her the ability to make anyone do anything, and Zeke's stone has anyone who wears it falling for him. But the talismans may be more trouble than they originally seem and eventually lead to new understandings of themselves and their relationships with family and friends in Gomera-Tavarez's (High Spirits, 2022) latest. This starts off with a voicey bang, beginning with a chapter from Rosie's perspective in a novel that hops around among different points of view. The prose throughout remains highly descriptive and vibrant, leading the reader along a fast-paced adventure of self-discovery amid revelations about shocking family secrets and magic. While main characters Caro, Rosie, and Zeke showcase thoughtful character development, so, too, do secondary characters to a dazzling, well-rounded effect. Although this enjoys the tropes of a typical high-school dramedy, like a house party and romantic follies, it is one of a kind and likely to be popular with reluctant readers who can look past the hefty page count and give the beginning a try.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from March 1, 2024

Gr 9 Up-Rosie is a Capricorn who works hard to achieve her goal of getting far away from her school. Caro, her older sister, is a Leo who plays life by her own rules and finds herself never on the same page as her mom. Zeke is a Pisces who loves love and is waiting for his opportunity to find it while navigating family issues. In this novel told from alternating viewpoints, Rosie, Caro, and Zeke each acquire talismans that possess unique powers. Rosie owns a magical jacket that makes anyone do whatever she says, Caro a baseball bat that fixes anything it breaks, and Zeke a manifestation stone that will make anyone fall in love with him. What happens when these characters find themselves together? A hilariously great time. In this novel filled with vivid details, wit, and relatable characters, Gomera-Tavarez displays pride in Latinx culture by interlacing plenty of Spanish dialogue that allows authenticity to be the driving force in a YA novel of magical realism. VERDICT A perfect addition to any teen collection.-Marcos Vargas

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2024
Alternating narrators Rosie, Caro, and Zeke find themselves transplanted to Jersey City, New Jersey, where each struggles to relate to the people around them. Sisters Rosie and Caro arrived with their mom from the Dominican Republic years earlier, escaping an abusive and absent father who has gone on to start a new family. After losing his mom, Zeke (who is of Jamaican and Panamanian descent) has moved to the area from Miami for a fresh start. Each teen battles their own anxieties through a series of misadventures that uncover hidden truths about themselves and their family histories. They are helped along the way by Rosie and Caro's aunt, whose spiritual practices explain the power of several magical objects that enter their lives: a pink jacket, two rings, and a baseball bat. Gomera-Tavarez offers a fast-paced plot with relatable characters who represent distinctive Afro-Latine experiences. Zeke also navigates his emerging queer identity, and the young women deal with gender-based pressures about appearance and sexuality, demonstrated through a strained relationship with their mother. While the story touches upon various types of trauma and abuse, it does so in a way that can help readers identify tactics for recognizing and processing pain and suffering, especially with the help of loved ones. Nicholas A. Brown-Caceres

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2024
Alternating narrators Rosie, Caro, and Zeke find themselves transplanted to Jersey City, New Jersey, where each struggles to relate to the people around them. Sisters Rosie and Caro arrived with their mom from the Dominican Republic years earlier, escaping an abusive and absent father who has gone on to start a new family. After losing his mom, Zeke (who is of Jamaican and Panamanian descent) has moved to the area from Miami for a fresh start. Each teen battles their own anxieties through a series of misadventures that uncover hidden truths about themselves and their family histories. They are helped along the way by Rosie and Caro's aunt, whose spiritual practices explain the power of several magical objects that enter their lives: a pink jacket, two rings, and a baseball bat. Gomera-Tavarez offers a fast-paced plot with relatable characters who represent distinctive Afro-Latine experiences. Zeke also navigates his emerging queer identity, and the young women deal with gender-based pressures about appearance and sexuality, demonstrated through a strained relationship with their mother. While the story touches upon various types of trauma and abuse, it does so in a way that can help readers identify tactics for recognizing and processing pain and suffering, especially with the help of loved ones.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)