Awards

• Commended for Pura Belpre Award (Y/A Author) 2025

Overview

Longlisted for the National Book Award A Pura Belpré Young Adult Author Honor Book In this stirring young adult novel-in-verse from award-winning author Margarita Engle, love and conservation intertwine as two teens go on a “transformative journey celebrating the power of overcoming personal struggles to make a lasting impact” (Kirkus Reviews). Ana and her mother have been living out of their car ever since her militant father became one of the FBI’s most wanted. Leandro has struggled with debilitating anxiety since his family fled Cuba on a perilous raft. One moonlit night, in a wilderness park in California, Ana and Leandro meet. Their connection is instant—a shared radiance that feels both scientific and magical. Then they discover they are not alone: a huge mountain lion stalks through the trees, one of many wild animals whose habitat has been threatened by humans. Determined to make a difference, Ana and Leandro start a rewilding club at their school, working with scientists to build wildlife crossings that can help mountain lions find one another. If pumas can find their way to a better tomorrow, surely Ana and Leandro can too.

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9781665939768

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Reviews

"&★ ""Emotions run deep and true in the concrete poems and free verse, which offer complex relationships that are familial, cultural, romantic, and environmental, appropriately blurring the lines between them for readers already invested in effecting heartfelt change."" --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, STARRED REVIEW ★ ""Emotions run deep and true in the concrete poems and free verse, which offer complex relationships that are familial, cultural, romantic, and environmental, appropriately blurring the lines between them for readers already invested in effecting heartfelt change."" --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, STARRED REVIEW ""Distinctive verse by Engle portrays Ana and Leandro's alternating perspectives to fully immerse readers in this sweetly rendered romance, adding depth to the teens' parallel journeys. . . a heartwarming and inspiring eco-centric read that addresses timely issues such as conservation of wildlife and emphasizes the importance of people's connecting to nature--and each other."" --Publishers Weekly ""Verse in various forms, including beautiful concrete poems, effectively conveys this story's themes of sustainability, resilience, and activism. A transformative journey celebrating the power of overcoming personal struggles to make a lasting impact."" --Kirkus Reviews"

★ ""Emotions run deep and true in the concrete poems and free verse, which offer complex relationships that are familial, cultural, romantic, and environmental, appropriately blurring the lines between them for readers already invested in effecting heartfelt change.""    -- <i>The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, </i><B>STARRED REVIEW</B> ""Distinctive verse by Engle portrays Ana and Leandro’s alternating perspectives to fully immerse readers in this sweetly rendered romance, adding depth to the teens’ parallel journeys. . .  a heartwarming and inspiring eco-centric read that addresses timely issues such as conservation of wildlife and emphasizes the importance of people’s connecting to nature—and each other.""    -- <I>Publishers Weekly</I> ""Verse in various forms, including beautiful concrete poems, effectively conveys this story’s themes of sustainability, resilience, and activism. A transformative journey celebrating the power of overcoming personal struggles to make a lasting impact.""  -- <I>Kirkus Reviews</I> &★ ""Emotions run deep and true in the concrete poems and free verse, which offer complex relationships that are familial, cultural, romantic, and environmental, appropriately blurring the lines between them for readers already invested in effecting heartfelt change.""    -- <i>The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, </i><B>STARRED REVIEW</B> ""Distinctive verse by Engle portrays Ana and Leandro’s alternating perspectives to fully immerse readers in this sweetly rendered romance, adding depth to the teens’ parallel journeys. . .  a heartwarming and inspiring eco-centric read that addresses timely issues such as conservation of wildlife and emphasizes the importance of people’s connecting to nature—and each other.""    -- <I>Publishers Weekly</I> ""Verse in various forms, including beautiful concrete poems, effectively conveys this story’s themes of sustainability, resilience, and activism. A transformative journey celebrating the power of overcoming personal struggles to make a lasting impact.""  -- <I>Kirkus Reviews</I>

Author Information

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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