Jasminne Paulino Talks Debut Novel-in-Verse, ‘The Extraordinary Orbit of Alex Ramirez’

By Amaris Castillo

Alex Ramirez is keenly aware of the ways in which his self-contained classroom is different from the other classrooms at his school.

Did you know 

there are middle school kids  

who don’t get to do

what everybody else does?

I’m one of them

Alex, a neurodivergent seventh-grader, is frustrated with having to stay in his classroom all day with the same peers. He dislikes how Ms. Sharon, their teacher, calls them “friends” like this is Pre-K. 

Alex yearns to step out of their classroom. He yearns for more.

Jasminne Paulino’s debut novel-in-verse, The Extraordinary Orbit of Alex Ramirez, follows Alex on a journey to advocate for himself. Obsessed with all things NASA, Alex is determined to join Ms. Rosef’s mainstream science class. But Ms. Sharon keeps telling him his class isn’t ready. So Alex feels he has no choice but to launch forward anyway, through the swirl of doubt that surrounds him.

Out on June 3 from G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, The Extraordinary Orbit of Alex Ramirez is a story with incredible heart. Readers will fall for Alex and cheer him on as he fights for a new place in his school. Ahead of the book’s release, Paulino spoke with the Dominican Writers Association about crafting a neurodivergent character, self-advocacy, and more.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Congratulations on The Extraordinary Orbit of Alex Ramirez. What inspired you to write this book?

There’s so much there. It’s a mixture of my own experience as having been a kid who would have benefited from a self-contained classroom, or some version of that type of classroom. [That] mixed in with also being an educator and seeing the way those classrooms operate, and how they tend to sometimes miss the mark with kids who fall into that gray area – where you’re not entirely self-contained, but you’re also not completely mainstream. Where do we provide opportunities for growth, for kids who are in this zone? And then there’s also my role as a parent with kids who have IEPs and have needed more, and also needed opportunities outside of special ed environments to explore interests. All of that together brought me to that story.

Your main character, Alex, is in a self-contained classroom. For those who don’t know what that is, what is a self-contained classroom? And how was this setting different from writing about a mainstream classroom?

A self-contained classroom is where they stay in their group for most of the day. Many times in middle school settings, they will stay in that classroom from sixth grade till the end of eighth grade. There’s everyone else who gets to switch classes, and then there are the kids who don’t switch classes. Everything happens in that classroom. It works for some kids because it feels safe and that’s what they need. But then there are kids who are very much aware of the movement that happens outside of that classroom, which obviously led me to want to spend some time with that type of child and write this story.

How did you arrive at writing this book in verse, instead of in prose?

It's interesting. Once I started drafting it, it’s the way that it happened. His voice is very musical. And I like to think that novels-in-verse should read like music. So his voice just took me to that space. And I felt that I wouldn’t do Alex justice unless the story was written in verse.

Can you tell us about your decision to have Alex be neurodivergent?

I have ADHD, and I know what it’s like to feel the anxiety that comes from that. And as I mentioned earlier, being in the school setting where I didn’t get those services, but I also got to see the way special ed kids were treated, I wanted to spend some time with him being neurodivergent. 

And you know this: Latinx communities, we don’t talk about that. We’re not comfortable with owning the fact that some of our kids have differences, that they need different types of settings. And I wanted to normalize that as well. This is a kid who has parents that are trying to do their best, but they’re definitely not shying away from the fact that their child is different. And they’re trying to support him and make sure the adults in his space are also supporting him.

Being that Alex is neurodivergent, what considerations or factors came to mind as you formed his character?

Again, as someone who has ADHD, I definitely wanted those moments when the thoughts are coming out before they’re supposed to. You’re talking to yourself, which is something that I do and I’ve seen other children do. I wanted for someone who has ADHD to read the book and think like, ‘Yeah, that is definitely something that I do. I would have responded in that way to XYZ situation.’

Alex is also obsessed with space. He spends hours on the NASA website and dreams of going to space one day. Why was it important for you to give him a passion?

That’s the other thing. Neurodivergent adults and kids tend to hyper focus on things. I wanted him to have that as how he makes sense of the world, whether it’s situations at home, situations with friends. What is the organizing principle that brings him comfort? And space just worked out nicely for him.

For you, does Alex’s passion for space hold any symbolism in real life?

I’m not a space enthusiast, personally, pero there are some poems that I wrote that didn’t make it to the end. In writing, there are poems that you think will make it to the final cut, and then there are ones that you end up realizing you don’t need. I had several poems that would have him staring at the moon and thinking about his situation at school, and talking to his parents. And that was very much me. That was definitely me as a child. Or the whole writing letters – also very much me. 

But again, I’ve had students who will take that one thing. I remember the Artemis launch being something that just kept coming up in conversations. You wouldn’t expect them to come up with these topics. So that also influenced my decision to make that a part of the book.

I thought it was interesting to see how Alex reflects a lot on his past actions, in particular one to a former friend. It made me think about how much children may obsess over poor decisions. What message were you hoping to send to your young readers by having him reflect on that moment in time?

It’s to validate that this does happen. It’s OK. There are different ways to go about dealing with those feelings. And it’s also to any parents or educators in the room: When they’re sharing this story with students, knowing that there’s so much that happens behind-the-scenes. I think that parents and teachers often forget these are lives. Kids tend to ruminate over things that you wouldn’t think they would. But it’s happening. Alex obviously is a fictional character, but this is true for so many children.

One of my greatest takeaways from your book is just how important it is to advocate for yourself. Alex, in some ways, is his greatest cheerleader. He doesn’t give up on himself. Was that always intentional on your part, as the author?

It is to give kids a feeling of agency where, ‘This is scary, but this doesn’t feel right. What do I do? I use my voice.’ Obviously he has parents who encourage him. His dad encourages him, so he speaks up for himself. So it’s also to send that message to young people: You’re allowed to feel and wonder and question – and carve out the spaces that make room for that.

What do you hope readers take away from The Extraordinary Orbit of Alex Ramirez?

It’s for the young kids who feel that they’re not being seen, that there’s something that they’re hoping to do, and perhaps they feel like there isn’t room for them. It’s an invitation to take one step towards that thing. Every day you should try to do something that makes you uncomfortable. Oftentimes we’re just trying to get kids to do what’s next to fit within a mold. And oftentimes that mold isn’t for you. So what do you do when that’s the thing that you’re carrying in your heart? Try to carve out the spaces and find people. There’s always someone. The angels are out there that’ll listen to you, so make your way to those individuals and just take one step in that direction.

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Visit our BookShop to preorder a copy of The Extraordinary Orbit of Alex Ramirez.

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About the Author:

Jasminne Paulino is a Spanish teacher who has participated in workshops and mentorships with Highlights, Las Musas, and holds an MFA in writing for young people from Lesley University. The Extraordinary Orbit of Alex Ramirez is her debut. Follow her on Twitter @JasminnePNYC.

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Amaris Castillo is a journalist, writer, and the creator of Bodega Stories, a series featuring real stories from the corner store. Her journalism has appeared in The New York Times, the Lowell Sun, the Bradenton Herald, Remezcla, Latina Magazine, Parents Latina Magazine, and elsewhere. Her creative writing has appeared in La Galería Magazine, Spanglish Voces, PALABRITAS, Dominican Moms be Like..., and most recently in Quislaona: A Dominican Fantasy Anthology and Sana Sana: Latinx Pain and Radical Visions for Healing and Justice. Her short story, "El Don," was a finalist for the 2022 Elizabeth Nunez Caribbean-American Writers’ Prize by the Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival. Amaris lives in Florida with her family. You can follow her work at amariscastillo.com.