This Train Is Being Held

“A nuanced and tenderly pitched story.” -Elizabeth Acevedo, National Book Award winner and New York Times bestselling author



“Ismée Williams has created an engaging urban romance that tackles difficult subjects such as mental health and racism, while celebrating poetry, dance, baseball, and the complexities of Latino families.” -Margarita Engle, Newbery Honor-winning author of The Surrender Tree



Alex is a baseball player. A great one. His papi is pushing him to go pro, but Alex maybe wants to be a poet. Not that Papi would understand or allow that.



Isa is a dancer. She’d love to go pro, if only her Havana-born mom weren’t dead set against it…just like she’s dead set against her daughter falling for a Latino. And Isa’s privileged private-school life–with her dad losing his job and her older brother struggling with mental illness–is falling apart. Not that she’d ever tell that to Alex.



Fate–and the New York City subway–bring Alex and Isa together. Is it enough to keep them together when they need each other most?