Bloom

As high school ends, Ari must choose whether to stay at home and help his family with their bakery or escape to the city with friends to play in their band. When he hires Hector, an experienced baker, to help at the bakery, the two develop feelings for each other and when a fire destroys the bakery, Ari realizes that his true passions are baking and Hector and he makes the decision to stay at the family bakery. This contemporary coming-of-age graphic novel for grades 8-12 deals with family, friendship, and personal identity, and is suitable for literature circles or independent reading.