Raining Sardines

by Enrique Flores-Galbis

Wealthy landowner Don Rigol practically owns the town. To expand his coffee plantation, he will lay waste the mountain jungle and the secret valley where the ancient breed of Paso Fino horses roams wild. Can best friends Enriquito and Ernestina find a way to save the ponies, ensure justice at a trumped-up trial, and reclaim the mountain for their people? Will they rescue lost Indian treasure guarded by a mighty cayman with a golden chain around his neck?

176 pages, Hardcover

First published March 6, 2007

About the author

Enrique is painter who started writing when he returned to Cuba after being away for thirty years. As he painted in the streets of Havana during the day dusty memories started flood back,then at night he would record his vivid memories. His two books grew out of the three notebooks he filled during those late night sessions.
Enrique lives in New York with his wife, who is also and artist, and his two lovely daughters, and we can't forget his constant companion, Chico the dog.

Reviews

[Katherine]

Well-written except for a few confusing sections and a mistake in editing in which a set of paragraphs repeat the same event twice with different wordings. I think the content is really awesome--a story about townspeople (and two kids specifically) who reclaim their land from a greedy aristocrat who thinks he owns the town. Although the magical realism elements of the book are necessary to the plot, they don't overshadow the real-life issues of ownership, family loyalty, and classism. I think this pairs well with Color of My Words by Joseph Lynn, set in the Dominican Republic, which also deals with a dispute over land ownership, with the seemingly powerless townspeople ending up conquering the influential government. Both also have a sense of tragedy which is made less painful with the knowledge of the personal growth of the main characters.

[Aspasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading the Hunger Games trilogy in a week and a half, I needed a light read and Raining Sardines fit the bill. The setting is in rural, pre-Castro Cuba and a bit of magical realism is entwined into the story (hence the title). Enriquito and Ernestina are best friends with two secrets: they have befriended the island's wild Paso Fino population and have discovered buried golden treasure! When the town land baron destroys the mountain the locals have used for centuries for crops and hunting, the ponies' way of life is threatened as well. Enriquito and Ernestina hatch a plan to keep their beloved ponies safe and using the treasure to help their downtrodden neighbors.

You can read my other book reviews on my new blog: http://thesouthernbookworm.blogspot.com/

[Mikko Peralta · Rating 3 out of 5]

A floating pink couch, a mysterious lady having tea while sitting in a floating pink couch, Raining Sardines started with a magical, awe inspiring, theatrical, and artistic weave of words that did not just hold on until the very end. The writing, while beautiful at first, was never consistent. It felt like two different writers contributing to finish a book.

At best, I still like the book.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was not as good as his other book, 90 Miles from Havana, but still an enjoyable YA book about kids in Cuba, with a touch of magic realism and a lovely retelling of the legend of Hatuey, the Indian chief & Spanish gold.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A magic-realism story set in Cuba.

[Salsabrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enriquito and Ernestina are two kids who triumph over the richest man in town with perseverence and respect for the legends that are dear to the villagers.

[Dora]

2009 Americas Award Honorable Mention