Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa - (Pilar Ramirez Duology) by Julian Randall (Hardcover)

About the Book

While doing research for her documentary about her cousin Natasha--who disappeared in the Dominican Republic fifty years ago during the Trujillato--twelve-year-old Pilar Violeta Ramirez is transported to Zafa, an island where Dominican myths and legends come to life and where her cousin is being held captive in a sinister magical prison, and Pilar must defeat the Dominican bogeyman if she hopes to free Natasha and return home to Chicago. Includes author's note.

Book Synopsis

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.

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

A breathtaking journey . . . readers better hold on tight. --Kwame Mbalia, New York Times bestselling author of the Tristan Strong series

As funny as it is poignant. . . sure to delight and awe. --Elizabeth Acevedo, National Book Award Winner

A brilliant, refreshing new voice in young people's literature. ¡Pa'lante! --Daniel José Older, New York Times bestselling author

Pilar is the hilarious hero we need right now. My Dominican heart BURST reading this story, but in the best way. --Claribel A. Ortega, New York Times bestselling author of Ghost Squad

Twelve-year-old Pilar Violeta "Purp" Ramirez's world is changing, and she doesn't 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 Mami's code of silence around her cousin Natasha--who vanished in the Dominican Republic fifty years ago during the Trujillo dictatorship.

When Pilar hears that Lorena's 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 cousin's 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.

Review Quotes

A breathtaking journey through a world teeming with fantasy and history--readers better hold on tight as Pilar swings into her next adventure. --Kwame Mbalia, New York Times bestselling author of the Tristan Strong series

"Randall takes history and myth and weaves a tight fantasy that is as funny as it is poignant. This novel is sure to delight and awe." --Elizabeth Acevedo, National Book Award Winner

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

I love this book so much. Julian Randall is a brilliant, refreshing new voice in young people's literature and he has imbued this story with a whole mountain of love, humor, honesty, and adventure. ¡Pa'lante! --Daniel José Older, New York Times bestselling author

Incredible voice that jumps right off the page. Pilar is the hilarious hero we need right now. My Dominican heart BURST reading this story, but in the best way. --Claribel A. Ortega, author of Ghost Squad

About the Author

Julian Randall is a Living Queer Black poet from Chicago. His poetry and essays are published in the New York Times Magazine, POETRY, The Atlantic, and Vibe. He is the recipient of a Pushcart Prize. Julian holds an MFA in Poetry from Ole Miss. His first book, Refuse, won the Cave Canem Poetry Prize and was a finalist for an NAACP Image Award. He was also a contributor to the #1 New York Times-bestseller Black Boy Joy. Julian has previously worked as a youth mentor, teaching writing workshops to children on house arrest. Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa is his debut children's novel. Follow him on Twitter!