Detour Ahead

Twelve-year-old Gilah rides the public bus by herself to school in Washington, DC. She is neurodiverse and preparing for her bat mitzvah. Guillermo, a Salvadoran American thirteen-year-old, enters a poetry competition in hopes of earning enough money to repair his bicycle. Their friendship supports both of them as they work toward their separate goals. The story combines prose and free verse, with detailed black-and-white illustrations.