DETOUR AHEAD

Every morning, Gilah—a 12-year-old neurodiverse Jewish girl who loves breakdancing and is preparing for her bat mitzvah—takes the public Metrobus to her school in Washington, DC. This year Gilah is finally allowed to ride alone, but not everything goes as planned. When the bus swerves too close to a boy riding his bicycle in Columbia Heights, only one passenger, Gilah, seems to notice and finds the courage to speak up. Guillermo—a 13-year-old Salvadoran American boy— has just moved to the area and helps out at his family’s new bakery. Until he can earn enough money to repair his bike, Guillermo takes the H4 bus with Gilah. Through Guillermo’s poetry and Gilah’s prose, the two navigate the detours of their families, their friendship, and themselves.

Book details:

Authors: Pamela Ehrenberg and Tracy Lopez

Publisher: PJ Publishing, an imprint of PJ Library (March 23, 2022)

Language: English

Pages: 348

Reading age: 9 -12

ISBN: 978-1-7365573-5-8