Genre 3-LS 5603-Margarita Engle

Genre 3-Book Review of verse novel by Margarita Engle
1.Bibliography: Engle,Margarita. The Surrender Tree. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2008. ISBN 9780805086744
2. Plot Summary: This verse novel tells the story of Cuba’s struggle for freedom, told from the point of view of several characters. The main character, Rosa, is a healer who uses whatever the forest supplies to help the rebels. The character of Lieutenant Death is the son of the man who searches for runaway slaves and his life goal is to capture Rosa, whom he calls the Child Witch. Each part of the novel is broken down to segment the years that the wars occurred.
3. Critical Analysis: The organization of this verse novel helps to explain the struggles of the Cuban people to obtain their freedom from Spain, by breaking the sections into a timeline of each war. The inclusion of a introduction and notes from the author help the reader to have a deeper understanding of the background behind the struggle. The point of view changes from page to page, often with each character dealing with the emotion of dealing with the violence. In the verse titled “Rosa”, (The Ten Years’ War, pg. 39), we see the weary Rosa state “Who would have imagined such stubborn dedication?..If only he would change sides and become one of us, a stubborn , determined, weary nurse, fighting this daily war against death. The arrangement of the verses helps to explain the struggle and how each character deals with their involvement, whatever side they may be fighting for.
-School Library Journal review: “The Surrender Tree is hauntingly beautiful, revealing pieces of Cuba's troubled past through the poetry of hidden moments such as the glimpse of a woman shuttling children through a cave roof for Rosa's care or the snapshot of runaway Chinese slaves catching a crocodile to eat.”
-Horn Book review: “A powerful narrative in free verse . . . haunting.”
-Kirkus reviews: “Young readers will come away inspired by these portraits of courageous ordinary people.”
5. Connections:
The following book, when paired with The Surrender Tree give a compelling account of the struggles for Cuba’s fight for freedom:
Engle, Margarita. The Poet Slave of Cuba. ISBN-10: 0805077065