Common Sense Media Review
Moving coming-of-age book deals with trauma and depression.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 11+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
IVELIZ EXPLAINS IT ALL follows the journal entries of a middle-schooler dealing with loss and PTSD. Iveliz enters 7th grade with a list of goals for a better year, but it's not long before she ends up in trouble, whether for fighting or for zoning out during class. Friendships get harder to maintain, and she feels like she sticks out when she starts therapy again. Iveliz starts spiraling even more when Mimi, her abuela, moves in and criticizes her for going to therapy and taking medicine for mental illness. As the year goes on, she'll need to figure out how start checking off her seventh-grade goals before everything falls apart.
Is It Any Good?
Written in prose and poetry, this story about coming of age while dealing with loss and mental health challenges is sometimes overwhelming, at times painful, and often beautiful. Andrea Beatriz Arango's deeply-felt Newberry Honor Award winning book covers issues that many older children and teens face, or know people who do. From dealing with bullying, renegotiating friendships, surviving mental illness, grief, and facing discrimination, Iveliz journals about her deepest thoughts in a way that kids will find accessible and relatable. This book is a powerful read for tweens and adults alike. Not to be missed.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what works or doesn't work in the friendships in Iveliz Explains It All. Do the characters communicate and show integrity? What do you look for in a friend? And what do you give as a friend?
Iveliz works through some of her difficult moments with coping mechanisms like gardening, or breathing. What are some things you do to get through stressful moments? What else could you try?
Which characters show compassion in this story? How does compassion help Iveliz grow and develop new coping strategies or see things in new ways? Talk about a time when someone showed you compassion.
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Coming of Age
- Topics : Friendship , School ( Middle School )
- Character Strengths : Communication , Compassion , Courage , Curiosity , Integrity , Perseverance , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Random House Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : September 13, 2022
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 10 - 14
- Number of pages : 268
- Available on : Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Awards : Common Sense Selection , Newbery Medal and Honors
- Last updated : January 28, 2026
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate