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A review by mschley
Forest World by Margarita Engle
Novel 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?