A stunning novel in verse by a Newbery Honor-winning author paints a portrait of early women’s right pioneer Frederika Bremer and the journey to Cuba that transformed her life.
See the review at WOW Review, Volume 3, Issue 1
The Firefly Letters
Caribbean
Don Vespertilio, el murciélago
Description in Spanish: Don Vespertilio es un murciélago que vivió hace muchos anos. Sin embargo, nos dejo sus memorias, en las que relata parte importante de la historia de Puerto rico desde un punto de vista muy particular. Aprenderás más sobre la vida de los murciélagos y del área del carso en este libro que une el cuento con la información y que te invita a explorar el mundo de la fantasía y de la naturaleza que nos rodea.
Vejigante Masquerader
Determined to look his best for the upcoming celebration, a young Puerto Rican boy makes a special costume so that he can be a vejigante, or masquerader, in a book that includes a Spanish-English glossary, chants, and instructions for making a vejigante mask.
Under The Royal Palms: A Childhood in Cuba
In this companion volume to Alma Flor Ada’s Where the Flame Trees Bloom, the author offers young readers another inspiring collection of stories and reminiscences drawn from her childhood on the island of Cuba. Through those stories we see how the many events and relationships she enjoyed helped shape who she is today. We learn of a deep friendship with a beloved dance teacher that helped sustain young Alma Flor through a miserable year in school. We meet relatives, like her mysterious Uncle Manolo, whose secret, she later learns, is that he dedicated his life to healing lepers. We share the tragedy of another uncle whose spirited personality leads to his love of flying…and the crash that takes his life. Heartwarming, poignant, and often humorous, this collection encourages children to discover the stories in their our own lives — stories that can help inform their own values and celebrate the joys and struggles we all share no matter where or when we grew up.
Join the discussion of Under the Royal Palms as well as other books by Alma Flor Ada in Margarita Engle on our My Take/Your Take page.
Tukama Tootles the Flute: A Tale from the Antilles
When Tukama is captured by a two-headed giant and held prisoner by the giant’s wife, he uses his flute to escape.
An Island Like You: Stories of the Barrio
A collection of stories captures the lives of different teenagers growing up in the barrio, including Rita, who goes to live with her grandparents in Puerto Rico; Luis, who spends his days working at his father’s junkyard; and Sandra, who tries to rediscover her natural Latino beauty.
Soledad Sigh-Sighs/Soledad Suspiros
Soledad’s friends help her discover the many things that she can do to entertain herself when she is alone in her apartment.
The Bonus Of Redonda
Bonus Hamilton is a dreamer whose greatest wish is to become ruler of Redonda, a deserted island near his own island in the West Indies. Through a catastrophe, Bonus does flee to Redonda, but his arrival is not nearly as regal as he had dreamed it would be.
Call It Courage
Mafatu has been afraid of the sea for as long as he can remember. Though his father is the Great Chief of Hikueru – an island whose seafaring people worship courage – Mafatu feels like an outsider. All his life he has been teased, taunted, and even blamed for storms on the sea.
Then at age fifteen, no longer willing to put up with the ridicule and jibes, Mafatu decides to take his fate into his own hands. With his dog, Uri, as his companion, Mafatu paddles out to sea, ready to face his fears. What he learns on his lonesome adventure will change him forever and make him a hero in the eyes of his people.
My Two Grannies
An appealing story about a mixed-race family learning to accept different traditions and customs. Alvina has two grannies: Grannie Vero from Trinidad and Grannie Rose from England. When Alvina’s parents go on vacation, both grannies arrive to look after Alvina. But the two grannies have two very different ideas about what to eat, what to play, even what stories to tell. The grannies get angrier and angrier with each other, but Alvina devises a plan so that each granny can have her own way — or so she hopes! This sweet, funny story about tolerance and understanding reminds children that no matter how great the differences may seem, there’s always room for common ground.