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Written in poetry this is a beautiful, haunting story of the wars fought in Cuba to gain independence from Spain. The main character is Rosa a slave turned nurse who hides in the countryside helping all who cross her path regardless of allegiance. At the moment though it was Silvia a young girl escaped from the (first) ‘re concentration ‘ camps after all her family died of starvation or disease who might stay with me longest

The Pros: explores a setting & events & POV I was unfamiliar with (and should), in verse which is appealing to me. The Cons: if there weren‘t section breaks for the different wars, I would not have realized time was passing (maybe that‘s on purpose?) and I felt that Lt Death was unresolved. I still wondered if he would pop up again in the end. Still, glad to read it and would recommend. Newbery Honor, Pura Belpre Award Winner

Newbery Honor HF in verse-setting: 1890s in Cuba 🇨🇺. Cuba has fought three wars for independence and still is not free. People have been rounded up in reconcentration camps with too little food and too much illness. Rosa is a nurse, but she dares not go to the camps. So she turns hidden caves into hospitals for those who know how to find her.

#SummerEndReadathon Day 4

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I picked up "The Surrender Tree" because we are looking to change our World Lit books and this one was an interesting story told in verse. I am glad I picked it up.

“Can it be true that freedom only exists when it is a treasure, shared by all?”

#quotes #poems #newberryhonorbook

This book was excellent. A very important read. I highly recommend this book

The book of poetry by Margarita Engle. Was sometimes hard to follow. I would choose this book for upper grade levels 5th to 7th grade. It spoke of young girl who was living life during the war in Cuba in the time of Teddy Roosevelt. It talks about her hard times and suffering. It comes in both English and Spanish. #ucflae3414f19

Quick read written for middle grades/ YA about a period of history I knew nothing about.

The surrender tree by Margarita Engle is a great poetry book that won the Pura Belpre award. It is a collection of poems written by margarita that give a depiction of the struggles in Cuba. This book follows a woman Rosa through her hardship of slavery and her fight for freedom and independence. It begins when she is a child and goes into her adult life.

"How can there be
a little war?
Are some deaths
smaller than others,
leaving mothers
who weep
a little less?"
A powerful history of Cuba's wars for independence, told in verse through multiple perspectives. Heartfelt and heartbreaking. The #audiobook production has five narrators plus the author — very well done. #Latinx

The sisters of shade weave hats to bring relief from the sun. They show me how to sew a padded amulet of cloth to wear over my heart as protection against bullets.

"People walk in long chains of strength, arm in arm, to keep from blowing away. The wildness of wind, forest, sea brings storms that move like serpents, sweeping trees and cattle up into the sky. During hurricanes, even the wealthy wander like beggars, seeking shelter arm in arm with the poor."

(These poems of Cuba's struggle for freedom are making me think of all of the people currently affected by storms across that area.)