Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa

Starred review from January 31, 2022
Vividly built Dominican mythology distinguishes Randall’s (Refuse, for adults) middle grade debut, an epic adventure that effectively interweaves historical and current affairs. Pilar Violeta Ramirez, 12, lives with her Dominican Mami and Abuela in a quickly gentrifying Chicago neighborhood. Dreaming of becoming an Oscar-winning filmmaker, the rising eighth grader wants to capture untold stories—for a summer project, she’s making a documentary about her mother’s cousin, Natasha, who disappeared as a young teen in 1957 during Trujillo’s dictatorship. When her university student sister encounters a visiting sociology professor who studies Trujillo-era disappearances, Pilar hops on the chance to meet with him. But when he’s nowhere to be found, she enters his office, finding a folder with Natasha’s name on it that sucks her into an alternate island realm, Zafa, where her Abuela’s stories come to life. As Pilar meets its inhabitants, she learns that El Cuco, the Dominican bogeyman, is not only powerfully real and menacing, but may hold the answer to Natasha’s disappearance. Fusing a vibrant, self-assured narrative voice; subtly wrought intergenerational concerns; and rich, Dominican-inspired worldbuilding, Randall creates an undeniable page-turner. Ages 8–12. Agent: Patrice Caldwell, Howard Morhaim Literary.

February 15, 2022
Grades 4-8 Twelve-year-old Pilar from Chicago is determined to bring closure to her family after the disappearance of Natasha, a relative who vanished without a trace during the Trujillo era in the Dominican Republic many years ago. When her sister informs Pilar that a professor at her university has been researching the many disappearances during Trujillo's dictatorship, Pilar hops on a train to meet him. After arriving at an empty office, she begins to investigate the room and finds a folder with a single page that transports her to the world of Zafa. In this new, magical place, she will join the fight against the boogeyman, El Cuco, with the aim of getting the answers she has been searching for. Randall has created a story that helpfully introduces readers to a significant time in history for Dominicans, the Trujillo regime, a topic hardly mentioned in children's literature. Driven by a fast-paced adventure filled with mythology, history, family, and friendship, this title is a superb addition to the fantasy genre, particularly those grounded in world history.

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Starred review from March 11, 2022

Gr 3-7-Twelve-year-old Domincana Pilar "Purp" Ramirez is going to be an award-winning director some day. So when her older sister lines up the perfect interview for the documentary Pilar's working on-a documentary on Trujillo's dictatorship and the disappearance of her mom's cousin Natasha-she jumps at the opportunity. But when a file with Natasha's name on it sucks Pilar into the mythical world of Zafa, she's faced with a terrifying answer to the mystery she's been investigating. Set partially in a modern, rapidly gentrifying Chicago and partially in a world of Dominican legend, this first title in a new fantasy duology seamlessly intertwines the magic of Spirited Away and the danger of Jumanji with Dominican history and myth. Pilar is fierce, honest, and funny, a heroine readers are sure to love. VERDICT Action-packed and engaging from start to finish, this is a great next read for fans of Rick Riordan and Alane Adams. Recommended first purchase.-Kaitlin Frick

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Starred review from December 15, 2021
Magic awaits around every corner in Zafa. Pilar Ramirez grew up hearing stories of the Dominican boogeyman El Cuco--alongside accounts of dictator Rafael Trujillo, whose ruthlessness forced her abuela to flee the country with Mami long before Pilar was born. A sharp-tongued resident of Chicago living in a neighborhood that seems to be gentrifying overnight, Pilar aspires to be a documentary filmmaker and share untold stories of silenced voices, including that of her cousin Natasha, who vanished in 1957 during the Trujillo regime. Pilar can't believe her luck when Lorena, her annoyingly perfect college student sister, arranges for her to interview a sociology professor who happens to be studying missing persons from this era. Pilar arrives at the professor's office, notices a file folder with her missing cousin's name on it, and before you can blink an ojo, she is magically pulled into the file and whisked away to the supernatural island of Zafa. Pilar must team up with its scrappy, otherworldly inhabitants to unravel the mystery of Natasha's disappearance and help save the island from dark forces. Spanish words and phrases are woven into the English text in ways that enhance the character development and anchor the Dominican culture that permeates the story. Pilar's humorous, authentically tweenage voice shines as she makes astute observations about the world around her. Nonstop action and plenty of heart create a story worth escaping into. (Adventure. 9-13)

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