Thanks to Random House Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this title.

Iveliz Explains It All is a middle-grade novel in verse written mainly in English, but with lots of Spanish phrases included. It's been 20+ years since I studied Spanish, but I was able to figure out almost all of the Spanish pieces through context and memory. 7th grader Iveliz is having a lot of mental health struggles. She's grieving a family member and no one understands her worries. Not her mother, and certainly not her grandmother Mimi. Mimi has just moved in with Iveliz and is suffering from Alzheimer's. While I think this is an important book because it addresses mental health honestly and unflinchingly, I found it confusing at times, primarily in the beginning. The layer of her grandmother having dementia seemed unnecessary and complicated the story more than was necessary in my opinion.

Iveliz is a very believable, sympathetic character to convey the struggles, pain, and confusion of trauma and mental illness. This is an excellent book to introduce these topics to middle grade/middle school readers in an accessible story.

Read this one in one sitting. Iveliz Explains it All is such a beautiful story and really captures so much about middle grade experience and dealing with all these scary grown up things. The verse format makes the story accessible, and the ending is perfect.

This is a very important novel, and one that I wish I had growing up. As a kid who struggled with mental health and who felt completely alone in that struggle, this book would have made me feel less alone in the world. Arango's words carry so much weight, but also feel hopeful and freeing. Furthermore, this book touched on many other important topics that I would like to see in more books for this audience. I especially liked some of the conversations surrounding friendship and self-care and how those may look different through the lens of mental illness. I would highly recommend this to readers of all ages - I think everyone could stand to gain something from this.

In Iveliz Explains It All, we meet Iveliz, who is a 7th grader hoping that this school year will be better than the last. Last year was hard. Car accident, loss her dad, survivor's guilt, therapist, meds, mom is distant. She's hoping for a fresh start with her abuela who is moving in with her and her mom because of her dementia, her best friend Amir who has always been there for her, and maybe even making a new friend.

But 7th grade ISN'T easier. Iveliz is still struggling. Her grades are slipping. There's these stupid bullies. Her best friend isn't speaking to her the same way. She's still depressed even though she's been diligently taking her meds. Her abuela's dementia is worse than she thought and abuela thinks she's "crazy" since she takes medication. Lastly, her mom, dealing with her own grief, doesn't understand what Iveliz is going through. The only place she can be herself is in her journal.

This novel in verse needs to be in EVERY school across the country! The pandemic hit children HARD. The effects on their mental health is far reaching and most schools aren't equipped to handle it. There aren't nearly enough counselors/ social workers for the number of students who need support. #Bibliotherapy (learn more from @literaphynyc) in schools might be one (albeit, small) way to address mental health concerns.

From Iveliz Explains It All, young people can learn how to fight against the stigmas their cultures might have against mental illness. Through this beautiful novel-in-verse, our young people can learn about healing through journaling, about the power of TALKING to the folks who care about them, about being a good friend, that therapy is nothing to be ashamed of, and so many other amazing lessons!

Andrea Beatriz Arango was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She is the author of Iveliz Explains It All, and is a former public school teacher with almost a decade of teaching experience under her belt. Andrea now writes the types of children’s books she wishes students had more access to.

READ. THIS. BOOK! You can order your copy at Tuma's Books and support a small, black-owned bookstore dedicated to curating diverse and multicultural books!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Iveliz Explains It All by Andrea Beatriz Arango. This novel is in verse about a girl struggling after a very difficult loss. This novel explains how the mind can forget but really things that are so hard aren't reallly ever forgotten. This novel shows how friendships should be and reminds us that we are never truly alone. It is always okay to ask for help. Wonderful message!

Wonderful mid grade novel in verse! Multi generational family dealing with mental illness - gentle content for midgrade readers

This powerful novel-in-verse covers so much about youth and mental health realistically and compassionately. It provides a window into the experiences of a girl trying to manage a lot of conflict within herself, her home and school.

As a middle school teacher, I was immediately drawn to this book. Iveliz is so much like many of my students. The writing was believable and the storyline will connect well with middle schoolers. I appreciated the inclusion of Spanish phrases that required translation. It felt just as important to the story as the English phrases. Can’t wait to recommend this to my students!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC digital copy. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions are my own.

While I was not a fan of the writing style, the message in this book is so important! Definitely recommend adding this to school libraries!!!

4 out of 5 stars and my deepest respect to the author for including teen resources at the end of the book.

I love novels in verse and Iveliz Explains it All is not only a great novel in verse, it's a great book period. There is so much emotion packed in these few pages that at times I had to take breaks just to breathe and calm myself. I would recommend this book to all kiddos 10 and older, but especially those who are struggling with anger and/or depression. One of my favorite aspects of this story is the way Iveliz's poetry improves and deepens over the course of her emotional journey. This is a fine read and I can't wait to start recommending it to my kiddos at the library.

Trigger Warnings: Death of a parent, mental health (PTSD, panic attacks, therapy, medication), grandparent with Alzheimer’s, thoughts of self-harm, suicidal intention

Iveliz (pronounced EE-VEH-LEASE) is ready to start seventh grade with a fresh start, but that’s easier said than done. She’s struggling with her mental health and past trauma, and to top it all, her grandmother with Alzheimer’s is moving from Puerto Rico to live with her and her mom. Told through Iveliz’s journal entries in verse, Iveliz Explains It All, shows how one girl taking on her mental health challenges and finding her voice to advocate for the help and understanding she deserves.

Iveliz breaks my heart and oh how I wish I knew her when I was her age… My Dad passed away in a work accident 3 days into my seventh grade school year. A lot of what Iveliz talks about and brings up are all stuff I had to learn to understand myself. I don’t think I can put into words the amount of gratitude I have for Andrea Beatriz Arango for writing this novel with the amount of raw emotion that was put into it.

“It’s just sometimes I get so deep in my head
It’s hard to find my way out.
Sometimes it feels like I can’t feel
And everything around me is just swirling about.”

Losing a parent at a young age is already hard. On top of your grieving, you’re expected to just go back to school and continue learning and participating for 7+ hours, 5 days a week. I was gone from school a week when my Dad passed, but even then I didn’t feel like I was fully ready to go back. Iveliz talks about how she saw her Mom handling her grief and how she was expected to go to school, eat all her meals, be ~resilient~... that’s hard for a kid.

This book is a wonderful resource for pre-teen and teens going through the loss of a parental figure or if they have a friend going through that as well. This would also be good for anyone going through a tough time, especially with their mental health.

This is also good for teens with a grandparent battling with Alzheimer’s. Iveliz has to learn to help her Grandmother, even when her Grandmother asks her to keep promises that may jeopardize her safety in the future.

I originally read this in an eBook format, but I will be going out and buying the physical book as well to keep in my personal library.

*Thank you Random House Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for an electronic version of this book in exchange for an honest review

This book was everything I love in a book. I felt all the emotions and I didn’t want to put it down.

What I loved:
✓ Journal pages and doodles (art by Alyssa Bermudez)
✓ Written in verse
✓ Mental health representation — PTSD, panic attacks, therapy, medication, thoughts of suicide
✓ How grief was handled
✓ Friendship and family dynamics
✓ Alzheimer’s representation
✓ Conversational Spanish — I will definitely be rereading this by listening to the audiobook

I just don’t think I can put into words how amazing this book is. Just go read it, okay?

Received an eArc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Even though things have not gone her way in the past, this year Iveliz is going to make new friends, help her grandmother Mimi adjust to her move from Puerto Rico, and not get into trouble. But with classmates that push her buttons and a grandmother that isn't sure the medicine she takes for her depression, it's hard to stay on track. Iveliz Explains all is a realistic, honest, and at times heartbreaking look into a girl trying to find her way after tragedy and rebuilding honest relationships with those around her.

Content Warnings: This book follows Iveliz whose father has recently died. She is depressed and has suicidal ideation in the book. It is treated realistically and she is provided support from friends and families.

I did not realize this book told in verse was going to be so raw and real when I selected it. The author does a great job of showing realistic friendships that go through rough patches, but the characters go through the work to keep them going. The talk about family dynamics and therapy was also poignant. Iveliz's grandmother who is supportive and caring and warm does not think therapy and her depression medicine is needed, while her mother who she feels judged by and hasn't connected with for months is supportive of therapy and wants her to go back to get more support if she needs it. Though this book covers some very mature topics, it is handled in a very appropriate manner and with so much honesty that it is easy to empathize with Iveliz and her struggles.

I would highly recommend this book for middle school classrooms. I may provide content warnings for students if needed so they are prepared for the heavier content contained in this amazing story.

So I am finding myself to be a growing fan of middle grade/YA books. This is a story like none other written, as a therapist, specifically a child therapist the experience of Iveliz hits the nail of what mental illness looks like and the implications in families. I loved the format of it, poems and prose are manageable to digest heavy topics. I would recommend a content warning either in the beginning of the book or in the back cover.

Shortly after the accident that took her dad, Iveliz was learning to cope, but six months later, she should be getting better, not worse, right? Mami gives her a journal, and Iveliz (that's EE-Veh-LEEZ to you) begins cataloging what it's like to have PTSD while also adjusting to Grandma's Alzheimer's. Things at school get worse. Friendships get worse. Family relationships get worse. Eventually, Ive is going to have to figure out a better way of coping than just poetry or things are going to get beyond what she can control.

First of all, this book is hard and beautiful and inclusive and full of hope. I used up a whole box of tissues here. Two small complaints: one, Mami and Mimi are extremely similar names, particularly for readers with dyslexia. Two, because it's written in verse, there's little to no transition between the poems. This is fine if you read the whole book in one sitting, but I set it down for a week and had to re-read from page one again. I should have annotated it. Other than that, this book was perfect. It brilliantly expresses the intersection between mental health, middle school, being Latina, sorting through family members having mental health concerns, and trying to be a good friend. It's complex and heartbreaking and stunning. I particularly appreciated the discussion on whether medication is just a crutch, particularly in the case of mental health.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Grab your tissues. This book is an ugly cry. Iveliz is struggling at home and at school. Her voice is distinct as she struggles with PTSD and the arrival of her Puerto Rican grandmother who is in a cognitive decline. There’s a bit of mystery surrounding her father. Is he present? Did he leave? This confusion adds to the poignancy of this book. There is a hefty amount of text in Spanish. This will be a win for the many Spanish speakers in my middle school. As more students struggle with depression and trauma this book is an important addition to the canon of stories that will build empathy. This is a must have for my middle school library.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

I loved this book and think it would be an amazing resource for teens going through a tough time or who have friends who are going through a tough time. Iveliz is a seventh-grade Puerto Rican girl who is having a really rough time navigating middle school while struggling with her own mental health challenges. She is dealing with past trauma which you can figure out pretty quickly based on context clues, but on top of this is her grandmother with Alzheimer's coming to live with her.

The story is told through her writings in her true journal about everything she's going through and you learn about what she feels she can or can't tell those who care about her. She is completely honest in her journal and you can feel the frustration, pain, sadness, anger, despair--all her feelings as she navigates the day-to-day.

This book does a great job of addressing what many adolescents experience, but in particular, it shows how much harder middle school may be for someone who is dealing with a mental health crisis, especially when a teen is a person of color and a target of racist bullies. This is a story about finding your voice when you struggle and learning who can and should be in your circle of trust. But ultimately it shows that you can't and shouldn't have to do it alone and that there are people who can be trusted to be let into your inner circle.

This book had me sobbing for her and the only thing that would have been better would have been a glossary at the end (or maybe footnotes?) that translated some of the words that seemed to be more Puerto Rican phrases than straight Spanish. I'm currently teaching myself Spanish on Duolingo and while I was happily able to make out most of it, there were a few phrases I couldn't figure out, and looking it up didn't help. That said, from the context I was able to figure out what she wanted to say. But I think having a glossary at the end would have been helpful.

That said, this story was poignantly and beautifully told in verse with much compassion for someone in Iveliz' shoes. First and foremost it is a book with amazing mental health rep, but it also addresses racism, friendship, and family relationships. I highly recommend this one for any middle school library.

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book is being published in 3 days on September 13, so look for it in a store near you!

I love notebooks, so I absolutely positively loved that this entire book was written as a long series of notebook entries written in verse. It was moving, heartful, lyrical and emotional. In it, we get to know Iveliz through her heartfelt writing as her journal is the only place she can seem to make sense of all the pain in her world. She’s a seventh grade girl dealing with a lot: her father’s death, her mother’s frustration, her grandmother’s dementia, her troubles at school and more. Her notebook is how she copes with it until she slowly opens up to those that care and uses her voice, rather than her uncontrolled actions, to slowly put the pieces back together.

The title is a deliberate misnomer, as Iveliz Margarita Snow Medina doesn’t explain much to anyone. Not to her Mami, not to her teachers, not to her Mimi (grandmother), recently relocated from Puerto Rico to Baltimore because of her worsening dementia, not usually to her bestie Amir and definitely not to her psychiatrist, whom she dubs Dr. Turnip. Only in her journal does Iveliz express her inner turmoil through poems.

Iveliz hopes to make a fresh start in seventh grade, and readers gradually learn that she is suffering from a severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder, which triggers her anger and misery. I won’t reveal any more so as not to spoil this powerful novel, but I will reveal that I read the entire book in one sitting and that I broke down in tears at one point. Here’s one middle-grade novel that adults should read — especially anyone working with depressed tweens and teens. I can’t wait to read more from author Andrea Beatriz Arango!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley, Random House Children’s and Random House Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.