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Review Quotes:
* "Spellbinding . . . Lyrical narration is rendered with a striking mix of romanticism and reality with Spanish text--accompanied by translations--smoothly incorporated throughout. It's an immersive love song to the power of both ancestral history and first romance."--
Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
Review Quotes:
"The hallmarks of Engle's verse novels are in evidence here, from visual creativity in the poems' placement on the page to the deep connection her young adult characters have to their Cuban heritage. Those factors make for a satisfying quick read that packs multiple emotional punches. Evamar is a character who's easy to root for, believably caught up in first love yet also a community-minded teen. . . . While the ending provides no easy answers . . . it is infused with hope."--
Horn Book
Biographical Note:
Margarita Engle is the Cuban American author of many books including the verse novels
Rima's Rebellion;
Your Heart, My Sky;
With a Star in My Hand;
The Surrender Tree, a Newbery Honor winner;
The Lightning Dreamer; and
Wild Dreamers, a Pura Belpré Young Adult Author Honor book. Her verse memoirs include
Soaring Earth and
Enchanted Air, which received the Pura Belpré Award, a Walter Dean Myers Award Honor, and was a finalist for the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction, among others. Her picture books include
Drum Dream Girl,
Dancing Hands, and
The Flying Girl. Visit her at MargaritaEngle.com.
Review Quotes:
* "Written in beautifully emotive verse, the story alternates between the pair's perspectives as they fall passionately in love, despite the looming challenges of a long-distance romance complicated by international politics. . . . Readers will root for the young couple and, after a deeply buried secret is revealed, they'll hope for a sequel to explore its possibilities. Captivating and heartfelt."--
Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
Review Quotes:
* "Engle proves once again her mastery of the verse novel. A stunning, sensory work."--
Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
Publisher Marketing:
Two starred reviews!
From award-winning author Margarita Engle comes a
"
spellbinding
"
(Publishers Weekly, starred review)
novel in verse about first love, hidden cultures, and ancestral connections that follows a teen's journey to uncover her late grandmother's roots in Cuba.
Just before she was transformed
into an invisible spirit
my grandmother whispered her last wishes
into my ear:
S
prinkle my ashes in a patch of girasoles,
wait patiently,
harvest the seeds,
fly to la isla, find el jardín,
plant las semillas.
Then and only then--
read my diaries.
Evamar has arrived in Cuba with her abuela's ashes and her mother's warnings:
Don't talk politics, boil the tap water before you drink, y por favor absolutamente, don't fall in love. But then she meets Río, a captivating drummer whose music and presence she can't ignore.
Río bears his own scars, separated from his family in the United States. As their bond deepens, Evamar discovers an ancestral treasure that could change her future--and the lives of millions of Caribbeans.
Review Citations:
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Publishers Weekly 04/27/2026 (EAN 9781665988070, Hardcover) - *Starred Review
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School Library Journal 05/15/2026 pg. 1 (EAN 9781665988070, Hardcover)
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Kirkus Reviews 06/01/2026 (EAN 9781665988070, Hardcover) - *Starred Review
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Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 07/01/2026 (EAN 9781665988070, Hardcover)
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Horn Book Magazine 07/01/2026 pg. 91 (EAN 9781665988070, Hardcover)
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Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 07/01/2026 (EAN 9781665988094, Other)
Contributor Bio:Engle, Margarita
Margarita Engle is the Cuban American author of many books including the verse novels
Rima's Rebellion;
Your Heart, My Sky;
With a Star in My Hand;
The Surrender Tree, a Newbery Honor winner;
The Lightning Dreamer; and
Wild Dreamers, a Pura Belpré Young Adult Author Honor book. Her verse memoirs include
Soaring Earth and
Enchanted Air, which received the Pura Belpré Award, a Walter Dean Myers Award Honor, and was a finalist for the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction, among others. Her picture books include
Drum Dream Girl,
Dancing Hands, and
The Flying Girl. Visit her at MargaritaEngle.com.
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