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From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

A verse novel introduces the inspiring Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda, known among family and friends as Tula, who grew up in early nineteenth-century Cuba with the heart and soul of an abolitionist and feminist. At thirteen, Tula is a voracious reader and writer but does both somewhat secretly in her wealthy family. Inspired by the work of Cuban poet Jose Maria Heredia, who lives in exile in the United States because of his radical stance against slavery in Cuba, she begins writing plays with antislavery messages. Tula's unsympathetic, widowed mother does not understand her smart, spirited daughter and promises her, at fourteen, to an older man in marriage. A family tragedy releases Tula from the marriage and she later falls in love with Sab, a former slave, but her love is unrequited-Sab is in love with his former owner's daughter, who is, in turn, betrothed to a wealthy man. Still, Sab becomes Tula's inspiration. "Can a free person / really understand one whose dreams / must fly up and soar / high above the depths of slavery? ... Is my imagination enough / or do I need to add the ways / in which I myself / have felt enslaved?" In an author's note, Margarita Engle explains that Tula's novel Sab, which she wrote at age twenty-two, argues against the slavery of Africans and indigenous peoples, and the slavery of women being forced into marriages they do not want. Back matter includes more information about Tula and Heredia, as well as references. (Age 13 and older)

CCBC Choices 2014 © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2014. Used with permission.

From School Library Journal

June 1, 2013

Gr 6-10-Engle adds another superb title to her lengthening list of historical novels in verse. In The Lightning Dreamer, she brings to life the story of Cuban abolitionist and writer Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda. Tula, a 13-year-old with big thoughts, lives in fear of her encroaching betrothal. "My mother and grandfather are already planning to auction me away to the highest-bidding rich man," she rues. Even in such a simple statement, Engle metaphorically ties Tula's story to the plight of those for whom she's most concerned, the enslaved. Tula's dread of a loveless arranged marriage is second only to her fear that she'll be shackled to a slave owner. Whenever possible, she steals away to surreptitiously pour her thoughts out onto the page, an activity thought to be unsuitable for a young woman. Engle paints a vivid picture of Tula's world and summons her unique voice across the ages through clear, poignant verse. Historical notes at the book's end include brief biographies of Avellaneda and her idol, the Cuban poet Jose Maria Heredia, replete with excerpts of her writing. These excerpts provide readers with a direct sense of Avellaneda's style while evidencing how masterfully Engle has evoked her voice throughout the preceding verse. This is a must-have for collections where Engle's other works are known and loved or for anyone in need of a comparative study to our own country's struggle with slavery.-Jill Heritage Maza, Montclair Kimberley Academy, Montclair, NJ

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.