Reviews

Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa by Julian Randall

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antoinettepowb's review against another edition

5.0

Such an amazing read!! Pilar is an awesome character; from the fierce love of her family, the dislike of her gentrifying neighborhood to charging into a fight on a magical island. The storytelling from a 7th grader was truly authentic and I could imagine any one of my students telling it. I loved the mix of the Spanish language and the represented history of events in Dominican Republic. I can't wait to have this book on the classroom shelves of my middle school.
Thanks NetGalley!

thebookworm_queen's review

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Love the series but I didn’t have to time to finish it after I read book 2 for a review.

yvonna_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

lorialdenholuta's review

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2.0

While I love Pilar's personality and love of filmmaking, other aspects of this book didn't appeal to me. The decision to blend/mix languages was extremely jolting as I don't speak the second language used. Now, if the digital version had included annotations (clickable) for each instance of that, I could have made a grand start on learning a second language. Instead, I felt like an outsider, not included in the conversation. And since this is a book meant for young readers, that's an issue kids already face far too often.

I give this one two stars for effort and imagination, but can't go higher due to the language barrier issues.

harvestingbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

bookswhitme's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

butterwashere's review

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adventurous tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

CW: minor blood, gore

I remember picking up the book and reading the quote on the cover in which it said for readers to be prepared since it’s a fast paced book.

It was indeed fast paced.

I love the descriptions and also the descriptions. It feels like I’m there watching it all play out. I also love rooting for Pilar as they navigate their surroundings and also fight.

I also picked up a bit of Spanish. My favorite spanish word is payasa which translates to clown in english. (note: Spanish terms are gendered, so in this case, this is used to describe a feminine person)

I love the idea of what inspires the plot, especially with the ideas of the sisters as the butterflies and how someone’s unfinished story is demonstrated in a blank piece of paper that is hidden. I read the story of the Mirabal sisters and how they fought against the Trujillo regime back when I was in 10th grade.

Content Warnings