Pilar Ramirez & Escape From Zafa

Book Title: Pilar Ramirez & Escape From Zafa
ISBN: 9781250866066
By Author(s):RANDALL JULIAN
By Publisher:HOLTZBRINCK US
Format:PB

The Land of Storiesmeets Dominican myths and legends come to life inPilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa, a blockbuster contemporary middle-grade fantasy duology starter from Julian Randall. Fans ofTristan StrongandThe Storm Runner, here is your next obsession.

“A breathtaking journey . . . readers better hold on tight.” Kwame Mbalia,New York Timesbestselling author of the Tristan Strong series

Twelve-year-old Pilar Violeta Purp Ramirezs world is changing, and she doesnt 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 Mamis code of silence around her cousin Natashawho vanished in the Dominican Republic fifty years ago during the Trujillo dictatorship.

When Pilar hears that Lorenas professor studies such disappearances, she hops on the next train to dig deeper into her family’s mystery. After snooping around the professor’s empty office, she discovers a folder with her cousins name on it . . . and gets sucked 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, El Cuco, if she has any hope of freeing Natasha and getting back home.

“Magic awaits around every corner in Zafa. Nonstop action and plenty of heart create a story worth escaping into.” Kirkus Reviews, starred review