Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zaf..., Julian Randall
Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zaf..., Julian Randall
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Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa

Author: Julian Randall

Narrator: Amanda Alcántara

Unabridged: 7 hr 11 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/01/2022


Synopsis

The Land of Stories meets Dominican myths and legends come to life in Pilar Ramirez and the Prison of Zafa, a blockbuster contemporary middle-grade fantasy duology starter from Julian Randall. Fans of Tristan Strong and The Storm Runner, here is your next obsession.

"A breathtaking journey . . . readers better hold on tight." ―Kwame Mbalia, New York Times bestselling author of the Tristan Strong series

Everything in twelve-year-old Pilar Violeta “Purp” Ramirez’s world is changing, and Pilar doesn’t care for it one bit. Her Chicago neighborhood is gentrifying and her chores have doubled since her sister, Lorena, left for college. The only constant is Abuela and Mami’s code of silence around her cousin Natasha―who disappeared in the Dominican Republic fifty years ago during the Trujillo dictatorship.

So when Pilar hears that one of Lorena's professor's studies disappearances under the Trujillato, she hops on the next train. After snooping around the professor's empty office, she finds a folder with her cousin’s name on it . . . and Pilar literally falls into the blank page within. She lands on Zafa, an island swarming with coconut-shaped demons, butterfly shapeshifters, and a sinister magical prison where her cousin is being held captive. Pilar will have to go toe-to-toe with the fearsome Dominican boogeyman if she has any hope of freeing Natasha and getting back home.

About Julian Randall

Julian Randall is a Living Queer Black poet from Chicago. His poetry and essays are published in the New York Times Magazine, POETRY, The Atlantic, and Vibe. He is the recipient of a Pushcart Prize. Julian holds an MFA in Poetry from Ole Miss. His first book, Refuse, won the Cave Canem Poetry Prize and was a finalist for an NAACP Image Award. He was also a contributor to the #1 New York Times-bestseller Black Boy Joy. Julian has previously worked as a youth mentor, teaching writing workshops to children on house arrest. Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa is his debut children's novel. Follow him on Twitter!


Reviews

Goodreads review by Richelle on March 06, 2022

Thank you Mac Kids Books for my finished copy. Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa is the first book in a fantasy duology that I really enjoyed. Reading this book taught me about Dominican Republic leader Rafael Trujillo and his brutal regime. I had no idea about this and ended up doing some rese......more

Goodreads review by Dayla on March 24, 2022

When I first stumbled across this at work, I was so excited because there was so much Spanish weaved into the prose. Plus, I haven't read a story featuring Dominican folklore so this was a really great find. For the most part, this was a fun and quickly paced story. Pilar and I had a few things in c......more

Goodreads review by Librarylady on September 26, 2021

The book description from the publisher was captivating, but the actual story was a let down. The biggest issue for me was the word choices. The constant usage of "pero" and "pues" as sentence starters was annoying by itself, but add to that the overuse of the word "like" as if Pilar was a valley gi......more

Goodreads review by Adri on March 20, 2022

CWs: Explorations of war crimes, genocide, massacre, abduction, and trauma; some references to death and police brutality; some thematic violence; and one HP reference Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa is a dynamic series opener that introduces us to a spunky, unforgettable heroine who is re......more

Goodreads review by Zamora on January 19, 2022

Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa was such a great read. Pilar is a twelve year old girl learning about her world as it is changing by the minute. Past meets present for her when she finds herself in Zafa. One of the interesting things about this book was the authenticity of languages (Spanish......more