Wild Dreamers

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Description

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 FBIs 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 instanta 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.

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
"Distinctive verse by Engle portrays Ana and Leandros 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 peoples connecting to natureand each other."

-- Publishers Weekly
"Verse in various forms, including beautiful concrete poems, effectively conveys this storys 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."

-- The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books,STARRED REVIEW
"Distinctive verse by Engle portrays Ana and Leandros 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 peoples connecting to natureand each other."

-- Publishers Weekly
"Verse in various forms, including beautiful concrete poems, effectively conveys this storys themes of sustainability, resilience, and activism. A transformative journey celebrating the power of overcoming personal struggles to make a lasting impact." -- Kirkus Reviews

Author Bio

Margarita Engle is the Cuban American author of many books including the verse novelsRimas Rebellion;Your Heart, My Sky;With a Star in My Hand;The Surrender Tree, a Newbery Honor winner; andThe Lightning Dreamer. Her verse memoirs includeSoaring EarthandEnchanted Air, which received the Pura Belpr Award, a Walter Dean Myers Award Honor, and was a finalist for the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction, among others. Her picture books includeDrum Dream Girl,Dancing Hands,andThe Flying Girl. Visit her at MargaritaEngle.com.