The Wild Book

by Margarita Engle (Author)

The Wild Book
Reading Level: 6th − 7th Grade

Fefa struggles with words. She has word blindness, or dyslexia, and the doctor says she will never read or write. Every time she tries, the letters jumble and spill off the page, leaping away like bullfrogs. How will she ever understand them?

But her mother has an idea. She gives Fefa a blank book filled with clean white pages. "Think of it as a garden," she says. Soon Fefa starts to sprinkle words across the pages of her wild book. She lets her words sprout like seedlings, shaky at first, then growing stronger and surer with each new day. And when her family is threatened, it is what Fefa has learned from her wild book that saves them.

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Kirkus

Starred Review

A young girl tackles a learning disability and the uncertainty of daily life in early-20th-century Cuba.

Ten years old at the tale’s opening, Josefa “Fefa” de la Caridad Uría Peña lives with her parents and 10 siblings on their farm, Goatzacoalco. Diagnosed with “word blindness” (a misnomer for dyslexia), Fefa struggles at school and in a home rich with words, including the writings of Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío. Discounting a doctor’s opinion that “Fefa will never be able / to read, or write, / or be happy / in school,” her mother gives her a blank diary: “Let the words sprout / like seedlings, / then relax and watch / as your wild diary / grows.” Basing her tale on the life of her maternal grandmother, Engle captures the frustrations, setbacks and triumphs of Fefa’s language development in this often lyrical free-verse novel. Her reading difficulties are heightened when bandits begin roving the countryside, kidnapping local children for ransom: “All I can think of / is learning how / to read / terrifying / ransom notes.” The author gives readers a portrait of a tumultuous period in Cuban history and skillfully integrates island flora, fauna and mythology into Fefa’s first-person tale. This canvas heightens Fefa’s determination to rise above the expectations of her siblings, peers and society.

A beautiful tale of perseverance. (author’s note) (Historical fiction. 10-14)


Review quotes

A Kirkus Best Children's Book of 2012

A Bank Street College of Education Best Book

* "A beautiful tale of perseverance."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Readers will be enchanted."—VOYA

"[A] lyrical glimpse of early twentieth-century Cuba."—Booklist

"Engle's writing is customarily lovely."—Publishers Weekly

"[A] remarkable, intimate depiction of Fefa's struggle with dyslexia; Engle is masterful at using words to evoke this difficulty, and even those readers unfamiliar with the condition will understand its meaning through her rich use of imagery and detail."—Bulletin

"The idea of a wild book on which to let her words sprout is one that should speak to those with reading difficulties and to aspiring poets as well."—School Library Journal

Margarita Engle
Margarita Engle is a Cuban American poet and novelist who has won many awards, including a Newbery Honor and a Pura Belpré Honor. She lives in Northern California. Visit her website at www.margaritaengle.com.
Rafael López is an award-winning illustrator and muralist. He divides his time between San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and San Diego, California. Visit his website at www.rafaellopez-books.com.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780544022751
Lexile Measure
1050
Guided Reading Level
Z
Publisher
Clarion Books
Publication date
January 07, 2014
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV057000 - Juvenile Fiction | Stories in Verse (see also Poetry)
JUV039150 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Special Needs
JUV030040 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | Caribbean & Latin America
Library of Congress categories
History
Novels in verse
Cuba
Dyslexia
1909-1933
Kirkus
Best Book of the Year 2012
Bank Street College of Education
Best Book of the Year 2012

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