Engle again manages to tell a story and educate through her poetry. Her subject this time is larger than usual - the Hispanic history of the United States ranging from the time the first Spaniards arrived in North America to present day. Unfortunately, she doesn't include information such as which poems are about real people and which are fictional. So many recent books like this that merge genres include back matter to fill in gaps and lead readers to further resources to learn more. With such a broad topic, this is one book that would have benefited from this, and unfortunately it's lacking. Still, good poetry from a much needed perspective.

Margarite Engle has created another beautifully written poetic text revealing the history of Latinx people from their homelands to North America covering history from 1491 to now. The stories of real people are woven in with fictional characters using sparse vignettes that pack a punch emotionally and reveal an untold side of history. I enjoyed and appreciated this book I am not sure young readers will connect with it as much as I would like them to and feel that they need to. The lack of empathy for immigrants and refugees in our country is due to lack of understanding of their stories... this text could help with that.

This book was just incredible. Every poem was an engaging, and often heart-wrenching, look into history through the perspective of Hispanic & Latino voices. Margarita Engle weaves together a seamless story line that manages to incorporate so much of history and storytelling into quite a short book. I found this to be an approachable way to learn about these cultures and histories while also not compromising the beautiful poetry. I flew through this book in about an hour and I will absolutely be recommending to my students.

Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This incredible verse novel should be required reading in schools across the US. Engaging and moving, it brings to life a history not often taught or recognized and will spark curiosity in young readers. Highly recommended!

This is an amazing book. It is definitely one that I am going to want to have for my very own (thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reading copy!). It's a history of people from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Central America and South America all combined into a beautiful series of poems. There are several elements that make this book rich, compelling and comprehensive. The simple language of the poems is amazing. She conveys the feelings of frustration and sadness but also love, pride and determination in this collection of poems.

It's written for middle grade readers, but everyone could benefit from reading this book. The readers learn that the same injustices happen over and over and over again throughout history. What is happening now to Latinos has happened many times before. She suggests that knowledge brings power, and there is a great deal of power among Latinos if they all assert their voices. It's an important book. Over and over again, I went to the internet to look up yet another famous Latino person about whom I'd never known.. It's a perfect starting point to gain an awareness of the struggles and contributions of Latinos throughout history. It's a history that I regret that I was never taught nor had I, up to this point, sought this knowledge out. This book inspires me to want to learn more.

Margarita Engle does a wonderful job of reveling a story that is not often brought to the forefront. It was beautiful, disturbing and enlightening. This is a book that should be shared far and wide and discussed in many formats. The novel in verse format made it easy to digest and linger over the pages.