The Land of Stories meets Dominican myths and legends come to life in Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from 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 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
- | Author: Julian Randall
- | Publisher: Square Fish
- | Publication Date: Jan 31, 2023
- | Number of Pages: 320 pages
- | Language: English
- | Binding: Paperback
- | ISBN-10: 1250866065
- | ISBN-13: 9781250866066
