With a Star in My Hand: Rubn Daro, Poetry Hero

(Hardback)

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Exceptional. Booklist (starred review)
HeartfeltThoughtful and effective. The Horn Book
Engles lyrical poetry emotionally conveys the reality of being a greatly gifted, passionate, and deeply ambitious young man in a turbulent time. BCCB

From acclaimed author Margarita Engle comes a gorgeous novel in verse about Rubn Daro, the Nicaraguan poet and folk hero who initiated the literary movement of Modernismo.

As a little boy, Rubn Daro loved to listen to his great uncle, a man who told tall tales in a booming, larger-than-life voice. Rubn quickly learned the magic of storytelling, and discovered the rapture and beauty of verse.

A restless and romantic soul, Rubn traveled across Central and South America seeking adventure and connection. As he discovered new places and new loves, he wrote poems to express his wild storm of feelings. But the traditional forms felt too restrictive. He began to improvise his own poetic forms so he could capture the entire world in his words. At the age of twenty-one, he published his first book Azul, which heralded a vibrant new literary movement called Modernismo that blended poetry and prose into something magical.

In gorgeous poems of her own, Margarita Engle tells the story of this passionate young man who revolutionized world literature.

Reviews

* Engle explores Daros relationship with words and the effects of abandonment, trauma, grief, and loss on his work. The cyclical nature of events described, as well as the seasons change and the rollercoaster of emotionsall based firmly in researchreflecthow the poets past affected his identity and career. Engle also pays close attention to Daros mestizo identity and the importance of utilizing Spanish language, andthere is a wonderful section on linework and rhyming patterns and structures, an educational element for young poets trying their hands at redondillas, octavillas, espinelas, and seguidillas. . . . Exceptional. -- Booklist, starred review
Heartfelt . . . The brevity of the poems allows readers to make rapid progress through the novel, and the placement of line breaks is thoughtful and effective: With paper as my sky, words / are the wind that should help my mind fly. -- The Horn Book
Engle distills a fascinating life and creates a portrait of a country where poetry, valued by many, could be a young persons ticket out of hardship. . . . In introducing readers to Daro, Engle creates a jumping-off point for poetic exploration. -- Publishers Weekly
Compelling. . . . This accessible volume serves as an excellent introduction to Daro and will likely encourage readers to search out his poetry to appreciate his genius. -- Shelf Awareness

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.