Criaturas isleñas

Gr 7 Up–In this translation of Island Creatures, Catey and Serena were childhood playmates in Cuba who released caged animals together, imagining one day taking flight from their island home. Through verse and song, Engle transports the protagonists to the United States in this coming-of-age tale about love, loss, and friendship. Serena’s parents die of dengue and her photojournalist grandmother Rita gifts her with the name Vida, plucking her out of Guamuhaya. Catey is Adán’s nickname, meaning parakeet. He also flies away and reconnects with Vida in Miami where their love for animals solidifies and their love for each other blooms. Engle weaves a catch or two into their romantic notions as this story about immigrant teens unfolds, and readers who want to do more than just wing their way through life will appreciate their journey. This moving love story breaks with cultural norms and reconciles historical trauma as protagonist Vida’s fascination with her grandmother’s chosen career provides a way to capture Florida’s climate disasters, frame by frame. Readers will be rooting for Adán and Vida as they try to create their own paradise in the face of daunting environmental challenges.