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." "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)

Diagnosed as having "word blindness," 11-year-old narrator Josefa, affectionately known as Fefa, struggles with reading and records her frustrations in this diary. Danger lurks in the 1912 Cuban countryside. Bandits rustle cattle and threaten to kidnap children. Her brother accidentally shoots himself, and the farm manager writes an "ugly" poem for Fefa that makes her feel uncomfortable. She eventually learns to read and triumphantly declares, "I am surprised to discover / that I can no longer bear / the thought of an entire day / without the natural flow / of twining / vinelike words." Written in free verse and inspired by family stories, the slender narrative conveys the frustrations of dyslexia and captures the lush setting. On the minus side, Fefa's family members never emerge as distinct characters. Sprinkled with references to Cuban and Nicaraguan poetry, this lyrical glimpse of early twentieth-century Cuba will enrich multicultural studies.

Engle relates, with some fictionalization, her grandmother Fefa's childhood in dangerous early-twentieth-century Cuba. Fefa suffers from "word-blindness" (dyslexia), but she slowly learns to read and write as a blank book from Mama becomes her "garden" in which "words sprout / like seedlings." Spare, dreamlike verse pairs perfectly with a first-person narrator whose understanding of written language is unique.

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." "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)

Based on the life of the author-s grandmother, Engle-s (Hurricane Dancers) novel-in-verse is told in the voice of Josefa, an 11-year-old living in the Cuban countryside in the early 20th century, following the war for independence from Spain and U.S. occupation of the island. It-s a turbulent time, with roaming bandits kidnapping children for ransom, but Fefa (as she-s called) is preoccupied with her -word blindness,- what is now called dyslexia. To help Fefa overcome her struggle to read and write, her poetry-loving mother gives her the wild book of the title, a blank book in which Fefa can practice -taming- the letters and words that seem to wriggle away as she tries to read them. -Throw wildflower seeds/ all over each page,- her mother suggests. -Let the words sprout/ like seedlings,/ then relax and watch/ as your wild diary/ grows.- Fefa persists until her disability is under control, but the denouement, in which a poem written by an unwelcome suitor saves Fefa-s family from harm, feels contrived. Engle-s writing is customarily lovely, but the plot is too thin to leave much of an impression. Ages 10-14. (Mar.)

Gr 5-9 This novel in verse is about a girl growing up with dyslexia in early 20th-century Cuba. Family love and the chaos that comes with large families are mixed with historical tidbits about Cuba after its wars for independence from Spain. Engle uses words sparingly and with grace: "&30;I love the way poetry/turns ordinary words/into winged things/that rise up/and soar!" In other poems, the protagonist's voice (based on Engle's grandmother) speaks of the struggles of learning to read and write with "word blindness," a term used to describe learning disabilities a century ago. While Fefa's great sadness over her inability to read is the primary focus, Engle includes rich cultural details and peeks into a time in which bandits roamed the countryside and children were often captured and held for ransom. Throughout all the drama, poetry is an integral part of daily life, in the play of children and the entertainment of adults, solace to Fefa in her struggle, and even as a means of expression by a kidnapper-poet. 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. Wendy Smith-D'Arezzo, Loyola College, Baltimore, MD