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Forest World
A middle grade novel in verse that tells the story of a Cuban-American boy who visits his family’s village in Cuba for the first time—and meets a sister he didn’t know he had.
Edver isn’t happy about being shipped off to Cuba to visit the father he barely knows. The island is a place that no one in Miami ever mentions without a sigh, but travel laws have suddenly changed, and now it’s a lot easier for divided families to be reunited. Technology in Cuba hasn’t caught up with the times, though, and Edver is expecting a long, boring summer.
He was NOT expecting to meet a sister he didn’t know he had. Luza is a year older and excited to see her little brother, until she realizes what a spoiled American he is. Looking for something—anything—they might have in common, the siblings sneak onto the Internet, despite it being forbidden in Cuba, and make up a fake butterfly. Maybe now their cryptozoologist mother will come to visit. But their message is intercepted by a dangerous poacher, and suddenly much more than their family is at stake. Edver and Luza have to find a way to overcome their differences to save the Cuban jungle that they both have grown to love.
Edver isn’t happy about being shipped off to Cuba to visit the father he barely knows. The island is a place that no one in Miami ever mentions without a sigh, but travel laws have suddenly changed, and now it’s a lot easier for divided families to be reunited. Technology in Cuba hasn’t caught up with the times, though, and Edver is expecting a long, boring summer.
He was NOT expecting to meet a sister he didn’t know he had. Luza is a year older and excited to see her little brother, until she realizes what a spoiled American he is. Looking for something—anything—they might have in common, the siblings sneak onto the Internet, despite it being forbidden in Cuba, and make up a fake butterfly. Maybe now their cryptozoologist mother will come to visit. But their message is intercepted by a dangerous poacher, and suddenly much more than their family is at stake. Edver and Luza have to find a way to overcome their differences to save the Cuban jungle that they both have grown to love.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2017
19 people are currently reading
413 people want to read
About the author
Margarita Engle
66 books389 followersMargarita Engle is a Cuban-American poet, novelist, and journalist whose work has been published in many countries. She lives with her husband in northern California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
August 21, 2017
Edver is sent off to Cuba for the summer to stay with a father he doesn't even remember. Who does he discover is also there? A sister he never knew about. His father is carefully guarding a remote part of the rainforest from those who would take its treasures while his mother travels the world seeking species once thought to be extinct. Then Edver and his sister learn of the presence in the forest of a man who would steal its treasures and they must work together to battle him.
Cuba came alive for me in this story, with its native animals and forests along with the difficult lives of the people living there. It's a novel story, a fascinating story of conflict and confusion and relationships and resolve.
Cuba came alive for me in this story, with its native animals and forests along with the difficult lives of the people living there. It's a novel story, a fascinating story of conflict and confusion and relationships and resolve.
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November 15, 2019Engle writes about the divorce of a family under an oppressive political system. We can sort of see the root cause of this family's separation, but the story lurches away from a political discussion and moves against a woman's choice to pursue a career. The mother is shamed and identified as a crazy mom, a negligent mom, a lying mother, and someone who sacrifices her family for herself. There is never even an explanation for why a mother would be so cruel as to not tell a son that he has a sibling. All of her actions are colored in hues of deceit and neglect.
The father, who remained on the island with the daughter marginally appears on the pages of the text. He is a conservation hero, protecting the island's endemic species. The language and adjectives used to describe a father who participated in the destruction of a family gets rhapsodic adjectives. He is no more nor less negligent than the mother, but he gets a pass, if not forgiveness.
To me, this work of poetry labors quite well on the metaphor inherent in Lazarus species, (one thinks the species is extinct, like this Cuban family, but new life is found and made possible), but the poetry and plot fall apart under a feminist reading. Blaming a woman for pursuing a career beyond the reach of a Cuban political system that hamstrings her research isn't bad mothering. I wish Engle wouldn't have made the mother the villain.
Engle creates the Human Vacuum to mitigate the effect of blaming the mother over and over. The Human Vacuum is an environmentalist thug who will destroy an entire species so that the remaining few that he hordes then have a higher value. The family can come together to get rid of the Human Vacuum. But five or six pages of the family coming together to outwit the Human Vacuum isn't enough to dispel the unsavory abundance of hatred, derision, and contempt heaped on the mother. Had she not dated the Human Vacuum, the endemic species wouldn't have been in danger in the first place.
Now that I write about it, I don't know that I want to give this work three stars. I loved the conservation story. But the way Engle writes about mothers with this work is just awful!
The father, who remained on the island with the daughter marginally appears on the pages of the text. He is a conservation hero, protecting the island's endemic species. The language and adjectives used to describe a father who participated in the destruction of a family gets rhapsodic adjectives. He is no more nor less negligent than the mother, but he gets a pass, if not forgiveness.
To me, this work of poetry labors quite well on the metaphor inherent in Lazarus species, (one thinks the species is extinct, like this Cuban family, but new life is found and made possible), but the poetry and plot fall apart under a feminist reading. Blaming a woman for pursuing a career beyond the reach of a Cuban political system that hamstrings her research isn't bad mothering. I wish Engle wouldn't have made the mother the villain.
Engle creates the Human Vacuum to mitigate the effect of blaming the mother over and over. The Human Vacuum is an environmentalist thug who will destroy an entire species so that the remaining few that he hordes then have a higher value. The family can come together to get rid of the Human Vacuum. But five or six pages of the family coming together to outwit the Human Vacuum isn't enough to dispel the unsavory abundance of hatred, derision, and contempt heaped on the mother. Had she not dated the Human Vacuum, the endemic species wouldn't have been in danger in the first place.
Now that I write about it, I don't know that I want to give this work three stars. I loved the conservation story. But the way Engle writes about mothers with this work is just awful!
November 10, 2017
I think I’ve read all of Margarita’s books, and enjoyed each one for the content that is so expertly woven in, the voice(s) that strongly tell the story, and the background scenes enhancing the story. This time two children tell duo stories. One concerns the environmental issues that concern Cuba, flora and fauna endangered by clear cutting forests in order to plant more crops and by those who would steal species in order to sell for profit. The other shows two children, pulled apart by a mother who escaped Cuba with her baby boy (Edver) and raised him in the US, leaving behind her husband and toddler girl (Luza). Through relaxation of travel rules, Edver is traveling to visit his father, and to meet Luza, a surprise to him who has never been told she exists. Luza, growing up in Cuba with her father and abuelo (grandfather) is resentful, but curious about this brother she knows of, but has never met. The two children move back and forth between anger and curiosity, both slowly gaining respect for the other’s abilities. Finally, they must work together to save some species from a terrible person called a “Human Vacuum Cleaner” because their errant email has started what has become a danger in the forest. Descriptions of the beauty of the forest make me want to save it, too! I enjoyed this story told in poetic verse.
June 3, 2022
This powerful, moving story is about two siblings who were separated when they were very young; the mom moved to the US with the brother and the dad stayed in Cuba with the sister. The kids meet for the first time, struggling to get to know each other and figuring out their family's story. They bond over a shared passion for the natural world and desire to work together to save endangered species, based in the deep respect for the planet that their parents instilled in them. The story is told in verse, with narration alternating between the two kids, and their voices are so lovely. They describe the different plants and animals they encounter, they talk about using scientific methods to learn more about the world around them and to solve problems, and their enthusiasm feels really genuine and relatable. I loved reading this as an adult and I would really love to get it into the hands of more kids!
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June 7, 2017This is going near the top of my list for Margarita Engle's books. You can tell how passionate she is about biodiversity and conservation, and dit shows in the characters and the plot. I think it's because it's narrative verse that it feels a bit over the top in the climax, but really it's like any other middle grade book where kids get to save the world, and this time the stakes are literally the earth, and that's awesome. I will definitely recommend this to a lot of people.
December 29, 2021
Insanely beautiful writing and fun storytelling mechanism.
November 23, 2022
"What was Mamá thinking, forcing un americano to spend time with los cubanos, sharing our quiet isolation?" Those are the words spoken by an unenthusiastic 11-year-old Edver, whom his mom forces to leave Miami, Florida, and visit his Cuban family for the summer. However, while in Cuba, truths and discoveries start to unravel themselves. Margarita Engle's "Forest World" is a poetry and novel in verse that collides two worlds America (Edger and his mom's home) and Cuba (where his remaining family lives), and Edver's culture shock and "surprise" only further solidifies his decision on wanting to go back home. The themes of resentment, mystery, and teamwork shine light on not only the characters but nature, biodiversity, and the strong desire of Edger's family to protect their forest world. Engle's humor, exaggerations, and Spanish vocabulary encapsulate the magical yet mysterious world of Edver's summer with his Cuban family on their little island.
"Forest World," although at the surface a very entertaining and comedic book, has a lot of important messaging. Children and readers alike will not solely be entertained by the contents but also by the sprinkle of Spanish Vocabulary and Egle's extensive knowledge about nature. Spanish vocabulary, which feeds the readers bit by bit on each page, allows us to build a somewhat elementary understanding by the end of the book. Furthermore, we are exposed to a different culture and way of life on the Cuban side of the family. Moreover, I enjoyed the book a lot because of its teachings about biodiversity and the importance of protecting endangered animals and wildlife.
Author Margarita Engle does an exceptional job of bringing two very different cultures together and analyzing and contrasting the nuance of each. She also presents us with an entertaining book that does not hold biased views and allows the charters, settings, and events to speak for themselves while adding her knowledge about nature and animals. For this, it was a WOW book for me. While reading, I felt like I was breathing fresh air. I truly enjoyed learning about different species of animals and the biodiversity of Cuba.
"Forest World," although at the surface a very entertaining and comedic book, has a lot of important messaging. Children and readers alike will not solely be entertained by the contents but also by the sprinkle of Spanish Vocabulary and Egle's extensive knowledge about nature. Spanish vocabulary, which feeds the readers bit by bit on each page, allows us to build a somewhat elementary understanding by the end of the book. Furthermore, we are exposed to a different culture and way of life on the Cuban side of the family. Moreover, I enjoyed the book a lot because of its teachings about biodiversity and the importance of protecting endangered animals and wildlife.
Author Margarita Engle does an exceptional job of bringing two very different cultures together and analyzing and contrasting the nuance of each. She also presents us with an entertaining book that does not hold biased views and allows the charters, settings, and events to speak for themselves while adding her knowledge about nature and animals. For this, it was a WOW book for me. While reading, I felt like I was breathing fresh air. I truly enjoyed learning about different species of animals and the biodiversity of Cuba.
March 15, 2018
Cuban born Edver, raised in the United States, isn't pleased that his mother, is sending him to the Cuban jungle to meet his father who hasn't seen him since birth. In Cuba, Edver discovers he has poor access to the internet and to his favorite video games. He now has a grandfather he didn't know; an older twelve-year-old sister, Luza; and the knowledge that both their parents work to save endangered species.
Luza wonders why her mother left her in Cuba, yet took her younger brother, and as the siblings bond, Edver sends a fake email through dial up about an endangered species that will certainly draw their mother back to Cuba. But the email is intercepted by a poacher who is bent on finding the endangered species--Papilio, the genus name of swallowtails.
The siblings work together to protect the forest from this criminal smuggler they call the Human Vacuum Cleaner and to protect their families.
An adventure dealing with the environment will draw the readers in, and the beautiful prose will disturb them enough to want to protect this beautiful earth.
Luza wonders why her mother left her in Cuba, yet took her younger brother, and as the siblings bond, Edver sends a fake email through dial up about an endangered species that will certainly draw their mother back to Cuba. But the email is intercepted by a poacher who is bent on finding the endangered species--Papilio, the genus name of swallowtails.
The siblings work together to protect the forest from this criminal smuggler they call the Human Vacuum Cleaner and to protect their families.
An adventure dealing with the environment will draw the readers in, and the beautiful prose will disturb them enough to want to protect this beautiful earth.
July 30, 2018
This book had such a great premise -- a boy who left Cuba with his mom goes back to visit his family for the first time... and discovers he has a sister! The descriptions of life in Cuba and the adjustment of an American to a different culture were so well done. Maybe I'm being petty with my rating, but I felt like the plot went a little off the rails in the last third of the book.
Spoilers:
They create a fake description of a rare insect to lure their scientist mom to Cuba. In the meantime, they discover their mom is dating a man who is a "bounty hunter" of sorts for rare insects and plants, and their fake description ends up luring him instead. So they work together to set him up, capture him, and report him to the authorities. It seemed a little far-fetched and took away from the more important themes of the book.
I'm not sorry I read it, and just because I'm an opinionated reader doesn't mean I wouldn't still recommend it others!
Spoilers:
They create a fake description of a rare insect to lure their scientist mom to Cuba. In the meantime, they discover their mom is dating a man who is a "bounty hunter" of sorts for rare insects and plants, and their fake description ends up luring him instead. So they work together to set him up, capture him, and report him to the authorities. It seemed a little far-fetched and took away from the more important themes of the book.
I'm not sorry I read it, and just because I'm an opinionated reader doesn't mean I wouldn't still recommend it others!
July 18, 2017
Generally, I enjoy Engle's works, but this felt a bit unfinished to me. I don't think the relationships were explored to the extent I would have preferred; I'm left without a clear sense of what might be in store for these characters. I felt the ending was a bit rushed as well. While, overall, I think the prose format works for this story, in another sense, I think this really could have benefit from a fuller fleshing out.
Thanks to the publisher for a digital advance reader's copy, provided via Edelweiss.
Thanks to the publisher for a digital advance reader's copy, provided via Edelweiss.
June 8, 2018
I love the new trend of novels in verse and I especially like the environmental issues this one deals with. Unfortunately, I can't think of any kids that would find it interesting.
August 15, 2017
Cuban-American poet, Margarita Engle, tells the story of a pre-teen sister and brother, reunited in Cuba in “Forest World” (Atheneum 2017).
When the siblings were quite young, their mother fled Cuba to America by raft with her infant son Edver, leaving behind Luza with her father in their Cuban rainforest home. Now she’s sent Edver to Cuba to meet relatives he doesn’t know. He didn’t even know he had a sister. Luza, a year older remembers the dramatic exodus and has suffered, wondering why her mother deserted her.
Luza, with her father and grandfather, protect a patch of endangered rainforest against poachers and destroyers. Her spoiled American brother, without his customary internet hookup is bereft. Here is an eco-adventure with a juxtaposition of technologies and cultures along with the reuniting of a family divided by 90 miles of ocean and laws that have kept them apart.
Luza’s voice is Latina and lyrical. She has a familiar Cuban need to make art. Having visited Cuba three years ago, I observed this in the people and so much more about the culture which is clarified in Engle’s book. Luza makes sculptures “ . . . shapes molded from mud, trash, junk,/ all sorts of wasteful ugliness turning beautiful/ simply by contact with creative human hands,/ my fingers and palms hungry for meaning,/especially when this ordinary world makes no sense.”
Edver, like his scientist mother, thinks like a scientist. He’s smitten with wonderfully gross oddities in nature. “The wasp injects poison into a roach’s brain,/ turning the bigger insect into a zombie,/ that can be ridden like a horse/ using the antennae as reins,/ until they reach the wasp’s nest,/ where guess what, the obedient roach/ is slowly, grossly/ eaten by squirming/ larvae.” The siblings’ love of nature will draw them together, in spite of their vastly different cultures and economic status.
Edver has strict orders from Mom not to show off, eat too much, or compare American grocery stores to the meager rations that Cubans are allowed.
Luza speaks of Cuban resourcefulness—“Vanishing Wilderness?/ Appoint yourself guardian of a forest, patrol/ on your horse, carve a rifle from wood,/ frighten poachers into thinking/ you have bullets.” Or “ . . .no soap? Trade part of your rice rations with a neighbor who receives gifts from Miami.” Or “Not enough food? Grow bananas and avocados on the sidewalk.”
Luza explains “convergent evolution.” “Octopus eyes and human ones, separately developed, yet eventually/ becoming similar.” She continues, “Is that how Edver and I ended up/ so much alike/ yet also completely different?”
Edver remarks, “Time/ is so much slower/ here.” And as time goes on, he is influenced by the lyricism of Cuban culture and rainforest. “. . . so many green parrots wildly clacking from the feathery fronds of a towering palm tree!”
Oh yeah, and the siblings set into motion an eco-disaster, in their attempt to draw their mother to the island. And now they must solve the crisis or more species and habitat will vanish.
Read this insightful verse novel by this year’s Young People’s Poet Laureate.
Patricia Hruby Powell is author of the young adult documentary novel Loving vs. Virginia and Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker talesforallages.com
When the siblings were quite young, their mother fled Cuba to America by raft with her infant son Edver, leaving behind Luza with her father in their Cuban rainforest home. Now she’s sent Edver to Cuba to meet relatives he doesn’t know. He didn’t even know he had a sister. Luza, a year older remembers the dramatic exodus and has suffered, wondering why her mother deserted her.
Luza, with her father and grandfather, protect a patch of endangered rainforest against poachers and destroyers. Her spoiled American brother, without his customary internet hookup is bereft. Here is an eco-adventure with a juxtaposition of technologies and cultures along with the reuniting of a family divided by 90 miles of ocean and laws that have kept them apart.
Luza’s voice is Latina and lyrical. She has a familiar Cuban need to make art. Having visited Cuba three years ago, I observed this in the people and so much more about the culture which is clarified in Engle’s book. Luza makes sculptures “ . . . shapes molded from mud, trash, junk,/ all sorts of wasteful ugliness turning beautiful/ simply by contact with creative human hands,/ my fingers and palms hungry for meaning,/especially when this ordinary world makes no sense.”
Edver, like his scientist mother, thinks like a scientist. He’s smitten with wonderfully gross oddities in nature. “The wasp injects poison into a roach’s brain,/ turning the bigger insect into a zombie,/ that can be ridden like a horse/ using the antennae as reins,/ until they reach the wasp’s nest,/ where guess what, the obedient roach/ is slowly, grossly/ eaten by squirming/ larvae.” The siblings’ love of nature will draw them together, in spite of their vastly different cultures and economic status.
Edver has strict orders from Mom not to show off, eat too much, or compare American grocery stores to the meager rations that Cubans are allowed.
Luza speaks of Cuban resourcefulness—“Vanishing Wilderness?/ Appoint yourself guardian of a forest, patrol/ on your horse, carve a rifle from wood,/ frighten poachers into thinking/ you have bullets.” Or “ . . .no soap? Trade part of your rice rations with a neighbor who receives gifts from Miami.” Or “Not enough food? Grow bananas and avocados on the sidewalk.”
Luza explains “convergent evolution.” “Octopus eyes and human ones, separately developed, yet eventually/ becoming similar.” She continues, “Is that how Edver and I ended up/ so much alike/ yet also completely different?”
Edver remarks, “Time/ is so much slower/ here.” And as time goes on, he is influenced by the lyricism of Cuban culture and rainforest. “. . . so many green parrots wildly clacking from the feathery fronds of a towering palm tree!”
Oh yeah, and the siblings set into motion an eco-disaster, in their attempt to draw their mother to the island. And now they must solve the crisis or more species and habitat will vanish.
Read this insightful verse novel by this year’s Young People’s Poet Laureate.
Patricia Hruby Powell is author of the young adult documentary novel Loving vs. Virginia and Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker talesforallages.com
August 27, 2017
Through lovely rhyme and verse, this tale paints a plot with feelings and emotions, allowing the beauty and depth to meld with adventure.
Edver and Luza might be brother and sister, but they come from two very different worlds. When Edver's mother suddenly sends him away from Florida to travel to Cuba, he's not sure what to make of anything. Especially when he meets Luza, the sister he didn't know that exists. Confusion reigns, but as they grow together, an adventure begins which will bond them for life.
This is a story written in verse. By flip-flopping between Edver and Luza, the author allows each character's thoughts to come to life through poetry. The plot unfolds slowly through each pair of eyes, while bringing in a beautiful depth not often seen in middle grade fiction. Each poem is relatively short - usually only between one to two pages - and opens up the story in all directions through a well thought out choice of words. Edver and Luza might be siblings, but they are different in every way. And it's this strong contrast which creates the extremely vivid imagery.
Two worlds collide. The children have grown up not only in different countries and cultures, but the gap between their wealth, ideologies, interests, way of life and dreams is wider than the ocean that separates them. Doubt, anger, uncertainty, curiosity, hope and expectations pour from every page. The writing flows with tons of beauty, while adding a bit of adventure in as well. The added twist of preserving endangered species makes this a delightful read. There's even a short glossary and explanation at the end to help readers gain a deeper understanding of the danger these animals are in.
Although this is a beautiful, original and compelling read, most middle graders won't necessarily have the patience to dive into the woven words. The thoughts and feelings of Edver and Luza are well fitting for the age group, but the adventure comes slowly, and the characters develop with more depth than most readers of this age group are ready to swallow. But that doesn't mean that there aren't a few out there who wouldn't love to read this. A slightly older age group will possess the maturity required to digest this tale to its fullest, and adults are sure to enjoy it as well. These readers are sure to get lost in Luza and Endver's world and leave with a new appreciation for the problems people from different cultures face as well as the horrid troubles found in the animal world.
I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed it enough to want to leave my honest thoughts.
Edver and Luza might be brother and sister, but they come from two very different worlds. When Edver's mother suddenly sends him away from Florida to travel to Cuba, he's not sure what to make of anything. Especially when he meets Luza, the sister he didn't know that exists. Confusion reigns, but as they grow together, an adventure begins which will bond them for life.
This is a story written in verse. By flip-flopping between Edver and Luza, the author allows each character's thoughts to come to life through poetry. The plot unfolds slowly through each pair of eyes, while bringing in a beautiful depth not often seen in middle grade fiction. Each poem is relatively short - usually only between one to two pages - and opens up the story in all directions through a well thought out choice of words. Edver and Luza might be siblings, but they are different in every way. And it's this strong contrast which creates the extremely vivid imagery.
Two worlds collide. The children have grown up not only in different countries and cultures, but the gap between their wealth, ideologies, interests, way of life and dreams is wider than the ocean that separates them. Doubt, anger, uncertainty, curiosity, hope and expectations pour from every page. The writing flows with tons of beauty, while adding a bit of adventure in as well. The added twist of preserving endangered species makes this a delightful read. There's even a short glossary and explanation at the end to help readers gain a deeper understanding of the danger these animals are in.
Although this is a beautiful, original and compelling read, most middle graders won't necessarily have the patience to dive into the woven words. The thoughts and feelings of Edver and Luza are well fitting for the age group, but the adventure comes slowly, and the characters develop with more depth than most readers of this age group are ready to swallow. But that doesn't mean that there aren't a few out there who wouldn't love to read this. A slightly older age group will possess the maturity required to digest this tale to its fullest, and adults are sure to enjoy it as well. These readers are sure to get lost in Luza and Endver's world and leave with a new appreciation for the problems people from different cultures face as well as the horrid troubles found in the animal world.
I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed it enough to want to leave my honest thoughts.
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March 6, 2019Novel in Verse Selection
Published August, 2017
This novel in verse alternates between two siblings, Edver and Luza. The story jumps in to the moment that 11-year-old Edver is set to spend his summer in Cuba with his father whom he has not seen since he left Cuba as a baby. When he arrives, he discovers that the surprise his mother told him about is actually his 12-year-old sister Luza. The back and forth of the alternating viewpoints allows the reader to glimpse both sides of the struggle as the two try to develop some sort of relationship. It is a great example to readers of this age group how people can view the exact same situation differently. This book introduces readers to a whole new world by describing life in Cuba, both the good and the bad. The beautiful, lush, and biodiverse forest is juxtaposed with a city of crumbling homes, rationed food, and no internet connection (guess which one bothers Edver the most). It also allows readers a glimpse into the complicated families that developed as some parts moved to America and others stayed behind, exercising those empathy muscles. The story delves into the importance of preserving nature and protecting biodiversity as well as the danger of posting untrue things on the Internet. Edver and Luza learn that lesson firsthand as their small little post brings the villainous Human Vacuum Cleaner to their precious forest. The entire story flies by as you’re immersed into the lives of Edver and Luza as they try to navigate their complex relationship, how they feel about their parents, find confidence in themselves, and try to tackle the greedy man bent on destroying nature rather than protecting it.
There are so many pieces of this book that could be used as jumping off points for discussion. It tackles complex families, immigration, conservation, and inequality. Here are a few discussion questions that could be used with this age group:
1. Luza and Edver have very different ideas about money and possessions based on where they grew up. How did reading about life in Cuba make you see the things you have differently?
2. Preserving nature is an important part of this story and we learned a lot about how special and important plants and animals are to the world. Can you think of anything you can pledge to do to help protect nature too?
3. Edver and Luza start a whole chain of events with a single post on the Internet. Do you usually take a lot of time to think about what you post? Did reading this story make you think any differently about what you say on the Internet?
Published August, 2017
This novel in verse alternates between two siblings, Edver and Luza. The story jumps in to the moment that 11-year-old Edver is set to spend his summer in Cuba with his father whom he has not seen since he left Cuba as a baby. When he arrives, he discovers that the surprise his mother told him about is actually his 12-year-old sister Luza. The back and forth of the alternating viewpoints allows the reader to glimpse both sides of the struggle as the two try to develop some sort of relationship. It is a great example to readers of this age group how people can view the exact same situation differently. This book introduces readers to a whole new world by describing life in Cuba, both the good and the bad. The beautiful, lush, and biodiverse forest is juxtaposed with a city of crumbling homes, rationed food, and no internet connection (guess which one bothers Edver the most). It also allows readers a glimpse into the complicated families that developed as some parts moved to America and others stayed behind, exercising those empathy muscles. The story delves into the importance of preserving nature and protecting biodiversity as well as the danger of posting untrue things on the Internet. Edver and Luza learn that lesson firsthand as their small little post brings the villainous Human Vacuum Cleaner to their precious forest. The entire story flies by as you’re immersed into the lives of Edver and Luza as they try to navigate their complex relationship, how they feel about their parents, find confidence in themselves, and try to tackle the greedy man bent on destroying nature rather than protecting it.
There are so many pieces of this book that could be used as jumping off points for discussion. It tackles complex families, immigration, conservation, and inequality. Here are a few discussion questions that could be used with this age group:
1. Luza and Edver have very different ideas about money and possessions based on where they grew up. How did reading about life in Cuba make you see the things you have differently?
2. Preserving nature is an important part of this story and we learned a lot about how special and important plants and animals are to the world. Can you think of anything you can pledge to do to help protect nature too?
3. Edver and Luza start a whole chain of events with a single post on the Internet. Do you usually take a lot of time to think about what you post? Did reading this story make you think any differently about what you say on the Internet?
August 30, 2017
Edver isn’t pleased to be headed to Cuba to meet his father for the first time since he was a baby. Now that the laws have changed, families can once again be reunited with people who escaped to the United States from Cuba. Edver has to leave behind the Internet and his favorite video game and cope with power outages and a lack of transportation and other technology. When he gets to Cuba, Edver discovers that he has an older sister that he’d never known about. Luza had stayed with her father in Cuba, wondering why her mother left her behind. Both of their parents work to protect endangered species. Their father protects one special forest in Cuba while their mother travels the world to find newly rediscovered species. As Luza and Edver start to become siblings, they find that a poacher has come to Cuba, drawn by an email they sent to try to get their mother to come. Now it is up to them to protect the forest they both love.
Engle is a master of the verse novel, writing of difficult subjects and using the poetic format to dig deeper than prose would allow. She tells the story in alternating poems in the voices of Edver and Luza as they discover the poverty of Cuba, the wealth of America, and the fact that there are different types of wealth in life like parental attention, grandparents and a sense of home.
Engle explores the world of Lazarus animals and protecting endangered species in this novel. The subject works in a lovely parallel to Cuban Americans being reunited with their families. There is a sense of delicacy and care, a feeling of finding the right habitat suddenly, and a sense of exploration and discovery heightened with surprises.
Another adept verse novel from a true master, this is a book that explores home, habitat and family. Appropriate for ages 9-12.
Engle is a master of the verse novel, writing of difficult subjects and using the poetic format to dig deeper than prose would allow. She tells the story in alternating poems in the voices of Edver and Luza as they discover the poverty of Cuba, the wealth of America, and the fact that there are different types of wealth in life like parental attention, grandparents and a sense of home.
Engle explores the world of Lazarus animals and protecting endangered species in this novel. The subject works in a lovely parallel to Cuban Americans being reunited with their families. There is a sense of delicacy and care, a feeling of finding the right habitat suddenly, and a sense of exploration and discovery heightened with surprises.
Another adept verse novel from a true master, this is a book that explores home, habitat and family. Appropriate for ages 9-12.
September 7, 2017
Forest World (Atheneum Books for Young Readers) is her latest middle grade verse novel which follows the journey Cuban-born but U.S. raised Edver unwillingly takes to his birthplace to see his father. Imagine his surprise when he meets twelve-year-old Luza, a sister he didn’t know he had, who lives in the forest with their father and grandfather. Luza’s excitement over meeting her long-lost brother sours when she sees his spoiled American behavior. The story is told in their alternating voices as they confront decisions made by their parents and the disparity in their upbringings.
Forest World is a fascinating work of environmental fiction. Computer game loving Edver is lost at first without internet access but begins to bond with his artistic sister over their shared interest in the natural world. Edver and Luza’s mother is a cryptozoologist who travels the world searching for rare animals. Their father spends his time protecting the forest from development and poachers. Edver and Luza scheme to get their mother to Cuba in search of a rare butterfly but their plan backfires when a dangerous poacher, who profits from capturing endangered species, intercepts their message and arrives on the island. They realize they must work together to protect the forest they both love.
Forest World is a deeply layered novel which sensitively deals with fractured family relationships, hardship caused by political decisions, the disparity of wealth, and the resourcefulness of the Cuban population. Cuban food, traditions, and language are explored as well as environmental issues such as Lazarus species, the greediness of poachers and collectors of endangered animals and plants, and the importance of protecting our natural world. This is a great book for adventure loving middle grade boys and girls.
Forest World is a fascinating work of environmental fiction. Computer game loving Edver is lost at first without internet access but begins to bond with his artistic sister over their shared interest in the natural world. Edver and Luza’s mother is a cryptozoologist who travels the world searching for rare animals. Their father spends his time protecting the forest from development and poachers. Edver and Luza scheme to get their mother to Cuba in search of a rare butterfly but their plan backfires when a dangerous poacher, who profits from capturing endangered species, intercepts their message and arrives on the island. They realize they must work together to protect the forest they both love.
Forest World is a deeply layered novel which sensitively deals with fractured family relationships, hardship caused by political decisions, the disparity of wealth, and the resourcefulness of the Cuban population. Cuban food, traditions, and language are explored as well as environmental issues such as Lazarus species, the greediness of poachers and collectors of endangered animals and plants, and the importance of protecting our natural world. This is a great book for adventure loving middle grade boys and girls.
August 2, 2018
A Cuban-American teenager, Edver in Florida travels to see his father and unknown sister, Luza in Cuba. With one year age difference, their approach to getting to know each other’s newly-discovered sibling takes time, yet they both want to make a sense of the shape of their family and even recover la familia. When they were new to each other, their cultural differences seem to set them apart even farther. Edver grew up in Florida and he needs a smartphone and internet to have true fun while Luza’s life fun can be anything in her backyard/forest, not internet game. However, the more they learn about each other, they quickly develop siblinghood. Then when they reached the agreement to save the forest animals and insects from the Human Vacuum, they become the perfect unit. “we agree that we need to go out and resolver by inventing adventures." p.136. Also, the atypical mother who is often hard to get hold of helps Edver and Luza to see that they actually have shared feelings and thoughts as a family. In this book, a sense of place is rebuilt through the forms of separations, (dis)connection, empathy, validation, understanding, collaboration, and acceptance. The beautiful the Cuban forest that is nearly ecologic arts defines their sense of place and grow to be the shared value that Luza and Eder both feel a responsibility to advocate for protection since many living species are already gone. This particular book displays a sense of place to take patience, acceptance, and responsibility to protect when things are not always explained why and how it is.
" I can't ersolve or invent the past. I need a way to change the future" p.153.==> one of my favorite quotes!
" I can't ersolve or invent the past. I need a way to change the future" p.153.==> one of my favorite quotes!
October 12, 2017
Another novel in poetic prose by Engle prompts me to ask, How does she do it? Her spare but lush language tells the story, paints the picture, and illuminates subtle emotions. Edver, coming from Miami to visit his father in Cuba, meets Luz, a sister he never knew he had. Luza is heartbroken that their mother didn't tell Edver about her, so they both have a lot to sort through about each other. As a part of their complicated feelings about their mother, they set in motion on the internet a chain of events which they realize they must collaborate on to fix. The crisis is real, with the possibility of devastating ecological results. I like that things are not tied up neatly at the end, but there is a satisfying conclusion that echoes the complications of real life and, especially, real life in Cuba today. It is set in rural Cuba, and words in Spanish are easily understood through context.
September 30, 2018
This book is written in two voices, a brother &a sister. The family was torn apart when the mother with her infant son escapes Cuba just before the boarders closed. He is raised in America and never knew that in addition to leaving his father and the rest of their family, they also left a sister. She grows up in the forest of Cuba.
Both sides of the family work to protect the environment, but the mother, a cryptozoologist, travels around the world looking for previously thought extinct animals, while the father and daughter work every day to protect the animals and Lazarus species in the forest on a single mountain.
It is a huge culture crash when the Cold War thaws and Edver travels to meet his dad and family, but with an added shock of meeting his older sister!
Engle’s voice captures the confusion, resentment, and longing for family connection perfectly and clearly spotlights the struggle to save and maintain the rainforest.
Both sides of the family work to protect the environment, but the mother, a cryptozoologist, travels around the world looking for previously thought extinct animals, while the father and daughter work every day to protect the animals and Lazarus species in the forest on a single mountain.
It is a huge culture crash when the Cold War thaws and Edver travels to meet his dad and family, but with an added shock of meeting his older sister!
Engle’s voice captures the confusion, resentment, and longing for family connection perfectly and clearly spotlights the struggle to save and maintain the rainforest.
January 27, 2019
A charming verse novel I read for my Eco Literature Book Group. This one is set in Cuba, where siblings Edver and Luza meet for the first time. Their mother had left Cuba years earlier with baby Edver, now a resident of Miami, leaving Luza in the care of her parents and father on their remote mountainside. The 2 grow closer as they learn that they have similar feelings of abandonment by their Mami, now a famous photojournalist who travels all over the word for months at a time. In a quest to contact her, they get ensnared in a dangerous act of eco terrorism that finally reunites this "Lazarus" family...or does it.
I really like the language in this one, and that's not typical for me with verse novels. This author was really able to develop voices for Edver & Luza, who tell the tale in alternating poems. I also liked that this didn't have a pat ending, and the poems really enabled the emotions' subtleties to become apparent. Really just a sweet story all around.
I really like the language in this one, and that's not typical for me with verse novels. This author was really able to develop voices for Edver & Luza, who tell the tale in alternating poems. I also liked that this didn't have a pat ending, and the poems really enabled the emotions' subtleties to become apparent. Really just a sweet story all around.
January 16, 2022
Regularly sprinkled fun facts about insects and animals were cool and lived up to the enticingly gorgeous cover art.
Believable characters opened my eyes to the human side of Cuban-US relations, a topic I had never really thought about before.
The poetry was kind of boring.
I've never really gotten the point of free-verse stories. I appreciate poetry when it is lyrical and says things you can't figure out how to say in full sentences. And I appreciate a good story. But this...? It's ordinary sentences with a lot of line breaks between words, as far as I can tell. I was hoping for some extra beauty coming from the poetry, but instead I just got a slightly-less-connected story, and now I'm remembering why I was convinced poetry was boring and pointless for my entire childhood.
Meh. It was fine, but it's not a book I'll enthusiastically recommend to anyone in particular.
Believable characters opened my eyes to the human side of Cuban-US relations, a topic I had never really thought about before.
The poetry was kind of boring.
I've never really gotten the point of free-verse stories. I appreciate poetry when it is lyrical and says things you can't figure out how to say in full sentences. And I appreciate a good story. But this...? It's ordinary sentences with a lot of line breaks between words, as far as I can tell. I was hoping for some extra beauty coming from the poetry, but instead I just got a slightly-less-connected story, and now I'm remembering why I was convinced poetry was boring and pointless for my entire childhood.
Meh. It was fine, but it's not a book I'll enthusiastically recommend to anyone in particular.
July 29, 2025
An engaging middle grade verse novel about a brother and sister living worlds apart, but brought together when Edvar's (scientist) mother sends him from Miami to live in Cuba for the summer with Luza and their father and grandfather. Both children, feeling abandoned in different ways, devise a plan to get their mother's attention. This plan, which involves luring her to Cuba to investigate a thought-to-be-extinct butterfly, eventually results in the children discovering and confronting a poacher who wants the butterfly for himself.
While I didn't find the plotting of the story as immersive or believable as I'd hoped, the novel does touch on important environmental topics such as jungle preservation, poaching, species extinction, and wildlife conservation. And, the kids become heros (with the help of some elderly locals with lassos!).
While I didn't find the plotting of the story as immersive or believable as I'd hoped, the novel does touch on important environmental topics such as jungle preservation, poaching, species extinction, and wildlife conservation. And, the kids become heros (with the help of some elderly locals with lassos!).
July 5, 2017
Great, quick middle school read. This is a novel in verse and makes a great science/literature tie-in. The story is about a Cuban family divided by choice and two countries who now, thanks to reduced restrictions, can come together...maybe. Edver goes to meet his father, grandfather and surprise sister in Cuba whom he has not seen since his mother left for Miami on a boat when he was a baby. Both parents are scientists and fight for endangered species. Edver and Luza learn to respect each other and work together when they discover a criminal who is profiting by exploiting Cuba's endangered animals. Lots of possible discussion topics, all sorts of research possibilities, and great science vocabulary make this a good choice as a 5th - 8th grade classroom read.
September 3, 2017
Siblings meet for the first time when one travels to Cuba to meet his father, also for the first time.
Told in beautiful free verse. Tackles the relationship between the US and Cuba and the new ability to travel between the countries. Shows the poverty that encompasses Cuba and the beauty of the forests that surround the people.
With both parents being scientists and environmentalists the love of animals and nature is not surprising in the two kids.
The only piece that seemed a little weak was the explanation for why the mom left, taking the younger child, and then deciding not to tell him about his older sister.
Told in beautiful free verse. Tackles the relationship between the US and Cuba and the new ability to travel between the countries. Shows the poverty that encompasses Cuba and the beauty of the forests that surround the people.
With both parents being scientists and environmentalists the love of animals and nature is not surprising in the two kids.
The only piece that seemed a little weak was the explanation for why the mom left, taking the younger child, and then deciding not to tell him about his older sister.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2018
Edver is sent from Miami to Cuba for the summer to a father, grandfather, and surprise sister he's never heard of. Edver's first visit is like time, space, and family travel just a few dozen miles apart. Both Liza and Edver understand and appreciate their parent's work identifying and protecting rain forest species, but feel completely in the dark about the separation and why they know so little about each other. Their relationship has its ups and downs throughout the summer. Their attempt to lure their mother to the island is successful, with unintended, dangerous consequences and a hasty explanation to the sibling's questions.
January 14, 2018
This contemporary novel in verse is perfect for middle grade readers and short enough for a class read aloud. Engle writes beautiful and creates strong, distinct voices for Edver and Luza, two siblings separated by the political disparities between Cuba and the US. They meet for the first time as tweens and struggle to relate, bond, and communicate as essential strangers. Engle weaves a good deal of themes into the short novel, focusing much on the lush endemic attributes of Cuba and the very real crime of exotic species poaching.
January 10, 2019
Siblings, Edver and Luza, were separated from each other when they were both very young. Eleven year-old Edver has come to Cuba for a visit and he has to find a way to get to know his father and grandfather, and a sister he didn't know existed! A lush setting, poetic language as well as an intriguing mystery will keep readers turning pages through to the end of this exciting and illuminating story. For nature lovers, ages 9 - 14, Forest World by Margarita Engle is a beautiful introduction to the island of Cuba.
July 3, 2022
I didn't like the ending. Unclear how all of the islanders were able to get together to fight this poacher, with poor internet services. Also, how the poacher seemed to hold still for Luna to put the makeshift *handcuffs on* laughable.
I think the author needed to come to a conclusion to this story, but used a laughable and smh ending. Maybe she was on a deadline. It just feels like she wrote a rather ridiculous ending. Also, the reason the mother left Luna behind was silly and why no contact after all those years?
I'm not sure I'd read anything else by this author
I think the author needed to come to a conclusion to this story, but used a laughable and smh ending. Maybe she was on a deadline. It just feels like she wrote a rather ridiculous ending. Also, the reason the mother left Luna behind was silly and why no contact after all those years?
I'm not sure I'd read anything else by this author
October 7, 2017
The power of family, the fight to save the ecoregions of Cuba (and threatened/endangered/endemic/Lazarus species of the world), an ecological crime mystery...all told in verse and in her #ownvoice so we can be sure the depictions of rural Cuba and a Cuban-American from Miami are accurate.
https://multiculturalism.rocks/2017/0...
https://multiculturalism.rocks/2017/0...
June 11, 2018
Free verse poetry children's novel. Themes of fractured families, biological conservation, home, what is wealth. It'd be a great companion book to the True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp and Out of the Dust books I taught 4th graders this year! Has a little bit of the daring of Hoot and Scat. Recommend for anyone (adults too) - especially high readers 8 and older or those interested in nature (has a high lexile level, 1240)
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