Detour Ahead

Wrap around cover and interior illustrations for Detour Ahead, written by Tracy López and Pamela Ehrenberg. Published by PJ Libraries (2021).

Every weekday morning, 12-year-old Gilah takes the same public bus to her school in Washington, DC, and this year, she's finally allowed to ride alone. On the very first day, the bus swerves too close to a bicyclist, and Gilah finds the courage to alert the driver to stop the bus. Without a bike, 13-year-old Guillermo starts riding the H4 with Gilah. This is the story of a Salvadoran-American boy who is a poet, a neuro-diverse Jewish girl who loves breakdancing, and how they navigate the detours of their families, their friendship, and their lives.

Cover image for the book Detour Ahead. A city scape of Washington DC. There's a bus going in one direction and someone riding a bike in the opposite direction. The name of the book is on a big street sign in the middle of the image.
Wraparound cover image for the book Detour Ahead: a city scape of Washington DC. There's a bus going in one direction and someone riding a bike in the opposite direction.
Girl looks out from window as boy falls off his bike.
Stairs leading down to subway, the sign abobe indicating many confusing directions.
Flier announcing a poetry contest with a prize worth 100 dollars.
The silhouette of a girl and boy ice skating at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden Ice Rink in Washington DC
Bus H4 to Brookland Station running over a puddle and creating a splash.