In this stirring young adult novel-in-verse from award-winning author Margarita Engle, love and conservation intertwine as two teens go on a "transformative journey celebrating the power of overcoming personal struggles to make a lasting impact" (Kirkus Reviews).
Ana and her mother have been living out of their car ever since her militant father became one of the FBI's most wanted. Leandro has struggled with debilitating anxiety since his family fled Cuba on a perilous raft.
One moonlit night, in a wilderness park in California, Ana and Leandro meet. Their connection is instant-a shared radiance that feels both scientific and magical. Then they discover they are not alone: a huge mountain lion stalks through the trees, one of many wild animals whose habitat has been threatened by humans.
Determined to make a difference, Ana and Leandro start a rewilding club at their school, working with scientists to build wildlife crossings that can help mountain lions find one another. If pumas can find their way to a better tomorrow, surely Ana and Leandro can too. Margarita Engle is the Cuban American author of many books including the verse novels Rima's Rebellion; Your Heart, My Sky; With a Star in My Hand; The Surrender Tree, a Newbery Honor winner; The Lightning Dreamer; and Wild Dreamers, a Pura Belpré Young Adult Author Honor book. Her verse memoirs include Soaring Earth and Enchanted Air, which received the Pura Belpré Award, a Walter Dean Myers Award Honor, and was a finalist for the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction, among others. Her picture books include Drum Dream Girl, Dancing Hands, and The Flying Girl. Visit her at MargaritaEngle.com. "The narrators successfully infuse their voices with the rapid emotional changes of their characters' complicated circumstances. Aleman voices Cielo in a rich voice that conveys wisdom. Bellido and Reynoso aptly change their voices to match the emotional turmoil of young adults who are learning to navigate life."
A talented trio of narrators, Zac Aleman, Andre Bellido, and Alejandra Reynoso, bring this story of transformative change to life. Unhoused 17-year-old Ana and her mother live in a car in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. One night, she meets 17-year-old Leandro and his service dog, Cielo. The story is told from the alternating points of view of Ana, Leandro, and Cielo. Ana and Leandro qui
