Margarita Engle Books in Order

A California woman travels to Cuba seeking the truth about relatives caught in the revolution. Her search uncovers the imprisonment of a great-uncle and a family's painful history amid the island's beauty, shortages, and political repression.

Raised in California, Carmen travels to Havana to meet the half-brother she has long imagined. His attempt to flee Cuba draws her into their family's revolutionary legacy, uncertain reports, and the dangers separating loved ones across the sea.

Born enslaved in Cuba, Juan Francisco Manzano develops a gift for poetry despite being denied an education. This biography in verse portrays his childhood and youth, setting his creative imagination against the cruelty of those who control him.

In war-torn Cuba in 1896, nurse Rosa establishes hidden cave hospitals for people unable to survive the reconcentration camps. Her efforts to treat patients regardless of background unfold through poems about the struggle for freedom and the human cost of conflict.

Thirteen-year-old Daniel escapes Nazi Germany but reaches Cuba after a refugee ship is refused entry to New York. Friendship with a local girl offers companionship, while separation from his parents and continuing prejudice shadow his refuge.

Young Maria Merian watches caterpillars transform into butterflies and moths, challenging the belief that insects emerge from mud. Her observations and paintings form a picture-book account of a girl investigating nature through patient study and artistic skill.

Swedish writer Fredrika Bremer travels through Cuba with enslaved Cecilia and wealthy Elena, whose own freedom is restricted. Their shared explorations create unexpected bonds as this verse novel considers the barriers imposed on women of different backgrounds.

Enslaved boy Quebrado translates between Spanish and Taíno aboard a pirate ship, caught between two cultures. A hurricane offers escape to an island community, where safety brings difficult choices about the men who once held him captive.

Fefa struggles with dyslexia and fears she will never learn to read or write. Her mother gives her a blank book for experimenting with words, while danger surrounding her family gives her growing confidence an urgent purpose.

After his mother goes to jail, Tony moves to the Sierra Nevada to live with a great-uncle he has never met. A search-and-rescue dog named Gabe offers companionship as Tony faces unfamiliar surroundings and memories of his troubled past.

Young Tula longs for books and an education while her family plans a profitable marriage for her. Discovering a rebel poet's writings gives the future Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda a way to challenge slavery and restrictions on women.

Young workers travel to Panama seeking opportunity during the construction of the canal. Their voices, joined by those of the rainforest, expose racial inequality, dangerous labor, and ecological destruction as an immense engineering project transforms their lives.

A little rabbit wishes to become as enormous as the forest and as tall as its trees. Comparing himself with much larger animals, he struggles with being small in a picture-book story inspired by Afro-Cuban folktales.

A Cuban girl dreams of playing drums in a society that reserves them for boys. Practicing quietly and pursuing her talent, she challenges the rule in a picture-book story inspired by musician Millo Castro Zaldarriaga's childhood.

Margarita Engle recalls a childhood divided between Los Angeles and cherished visits to family in Cuba. Revolution and Cold War hostility threaten that connection, leaving the young girl caught between the two countries and cultures she loves.

One young orangutan wants to dance while the rest of her family settles down for a nap. Linked tanka poems follow her playful movements through a forest refuge as she looks for someone to share the fun.

Young Louis Fuertes dreams of painting birds despite his father’s plans for an engineering career. Practice and study lead him toward portraying living birds in their natural surroundings, connecting his artistic development with growing appreciation for wildlife conservation.

Messenger Antonio Chuffat navigates nineteenth-century Cuba through his African, Chinese, and Cuban heritage. Friendship with siblings who escaped anti-Asian violence draws him into efforts to challenge injustice through words rather than the violence surrounding their struggle for freedom.

A Cuban boy and his parents prepare their aging family car for a trip to Havana. Repairs and a journey past colorful buildings, musicians, and other classic vehicles reveal the resourcefulness and affection keeping the car running.

Biographical poems introduce eighteen Hispanic figures whose work spans science, music, literature, sports, and public life. Written from their perspectives, the collection explores challenges and contributions, accompanied by portraits and brief information about the lives behind the verses.

Edver visits his father in Cuba and discovers a sister he never knew existed. The siblings invent a rare butterfly online to attract their mother's attention, but a poacher intercepts the message, threatening the forest around them.

Young Miguel de Cervantes escapes his family’s difficulties by imagining a brave, clumsy knight. Inspired by storytellers and traveling performers, he begins creating stories of his own despite limited access to books, finding comfort and possibility in his imagination.

After war leaves Estrellita weakened by rickets, caring for horses offers a new source of freedom. Her bond with a colt named Lucero leads into a story blending Cuban history, schooling in California, and magical possibilities.

During Nepal's Festival of Lights, brothers Alu and Bhalu search Kathmandu for a dog to feed on the day honoring dogs. Their journey past festive streets becomes increasingly difficult as evening approaches and they still have no companion.

Teenager Aída de Acosta sees an airship over Paris and wants to pilot it herself. This picture-book biography follows her determination to learn from inventor Alberto Santos-Dumont despite the expectations that keep girls away from flying machines.

Young pianist Teresa Carreño finds comfort in music after her family flees revolution in Venezuela for the United States. Amid another country's war and unfamiliar language, her talent leads toward an invitation to perform for President Lincoln.

Poems give voice to Latino lives across United States history, from early explorers and enslaved people to modern schoolchildren. Their varied experiences trace contributions, struggles, and enduring cultural connections through a history told from many different perspectives.

Mexican American girls work in Los Angeles canneries by day and dance with young sailors at night during World War II. Their community faces escalating racist violence in this verse novel about the events surrounding the Zoot Suit Riots.

Margarita Engle recalls adolescence during the upheavals of the 1960s, longing for travel after Cuba becomes unreachable. High school, war, political activism, and environmental questions shape her search for independence, education, and a place in the world.

Young Rubén Darío discovers storytelling through his great-uncle's tales and begins expressing himself in poetry. This novel in verse follows his travels, ambitions, and experiments with language as he seeks forms beyond the traditions surrounding him.

A young girl visits her grandfather in Cuba and helps him sell fruit by singing its names through the streets. Their shared rhythms and exchanged letters explore the family connection that continues when they live in different countries.

Using the Statue of Liberty as a symbol of welcome, this poetic picture book explores immigrants' hopes and contributions to the United States. It invites children to consider belonging, acceptance, and the journeys families make toward new homes.

During Cuba's devastating period of food shortages, Liana and Amado each refuse compulsory summer farm work. A mysterious dog brings them together, and their growing love offers companionship as hunger and the risk of government punishment shape daily life.

In 1920s Cuba, Rima faces prejudice because her parents are unmarried and finds freedom while riding with women veterans. New friendships and first love draw her toward the struggle for women's voting rights and a life without shame.

Cuban-born Oriol struggles to belong in California but finds solace caring for animals at her parents' clinic. Friendship with poet Gabriela Mistral encourages her writing, while a threat to a baby elephant demands the courage to act.

A young girl and her neighbors await the weekly visit of a water distributor after their village loses its own supply. His arrival turns necessity into a shared celebration, revealing the hope and gratitude that sustain their community.

After a hurricane exposes her family’s forbidden art and her parents are arrested, Soleida escapes Cuba alone. In Costa Rica, she meets Cuban American musician Dariel, and their growing love joins efforts to protect nature and support imprisoned artists.

Ana lives in a car with her mother, while Leandro struggles with anxiety after fleeing Cuba. A meeting in a California park brings them together, and a threatened mountain lion inspires a shared campaign for wildlife crossings and personal hope.

Childhood friends Vida and Adán reunite in Florida after years apart from their shared Cuban home. Working together to protect rescued animals rekindles their romance, but family conflicts and old wounds threaten the refuge they have found in each other.

Evamar travels to Cuba carrying her grandmother’s ashes and instructions that lead toward the family’s hidden past. Her connection with drummer Río deepens as ancestral discoveries challenge her future and her mother’s warnings against becoming entangled in love.