11-year-old Oriol wants to go back to Cuba. Ever since her grandmother died, she’s felt lost at her Santa Barbara, CA home. School is difficult, her older sister has less time for her since she got a boyfriend, and the only place she is truly happy is helping her parents at their veterinarian clinic. This clinic is no ordinary vet: her parents are specialty vets, assisting with wild and unique animals. In a show-biz state like California, they have a lot of work.
One day, Oriol spies an older stranger move to the neighborhood, a woman who spends a lot of time writing. When Oriol meets her, she is delighted to learn that the stranger, Gabriela, is Latina too. They strike an instant connection. Oriol has been struggling with English, and Gabriela insists she try writing poetry to not only learn to use her English vocabulary better, but to fill the hole in her heart. Poetry is a great salvation for Oriol, though initially she mostly loves it because she quickly grows to love Gabriela.
In the meantime, Oriol’s parents have an exciting new patient: a pregnant elephant who gives birth to twins! But when one of the twin elephants is kidnapped, Oriol suddenly finds a reason to speak up, both with her poetry and with her voice. Rescuing the elephant will require a daring-do she wasn’t sure she had. But she simply cannot let the baby get away without a fight.
Maybe
all I need
is a purpose
it’s a word
filled with echoes
of other words
like courage
and hope
I love verse YA and middle grade books, and Margarita Engle is one of the best writing them for contemporary kids. This is a beautiful blend of historical fiction, poetry, and social justice. Gabriela is based on the real-life Gabriela Mistral, a writer, diplomat, and activist who toured the world in the first half of the 20th century. She actually spent time in Santa Barbara in the 1940s, so Engle is imagining the impact she could have had on one child like her.
The animal plot is, of course, riveting. You’ll get lots of animal facts here, as well as a frank look at the problems of using real animals in show business (one of the things CGI is mostly eliminating, thank goodness). Luckily, it’s a happy ending for the elephants, who you’ll grow to love as much as Oriol and her family. Highly recommended for fans of The One and Only Ivan.
