Wings in the Wild, Margarita Engle
Wings in the Wild, Margarita Engle
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Wings in the Wild

Author: Margarita Engle

Narrator: Andre Bellido, Aida Reluzco

Unabridged: 1 hr 46 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/18/2023


Synopsis

This gorgeously romantic contemporary novel-in-verse from award-winning author Margarita Engle tells the “inspiring and hopeful” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) love story of two teens fighting for climate action and human rights.

Winged beings are meant to be free. And so are artists, but the Cuban government has criminalized any art that doesn’t meet their approval. Soleida and her parents protest this injustice with their secret sculpture garden of chained birds. Then a hurricane exposes the illegal art, and her parents are arrested.

Soleida escapes to Central America alone, joining the thousands of Cuban refugees stranded in Costa Rica while seeking asylum elsewhere. There she meets Dariel, a Cuban American boy whose enigmatic music enchants birds and animals—and Soleida.

Together they work to protect the environment and bring attention to the imprisoned artists in Cuba. Soon they discover that love isn’t about falling—it’s about soaring together to new heights. But wings can be fragile, and Soleida and Dariel come from different worlds. They are fighting for a better future—and the chance to be together.

About Margarita Engle

Margarita Engle is the Cuban American author of many books including the verse novels Rima’s RebellionYour Heart, My SkyWith a Star in My HandThe Surrender Tree, a Newbery Honor winner; The Lightning Dreamer; and Wild Dreamers, a Pura Belpré Young Adult Author Honor book. Her verse memoirs include Soaring Earth and Enchanted Air, which received the Pura Belpré Award, a Walter Dean Myers Award Honor, and was a finalist for the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction, among others. Her picture books include Drum Dream GirlDancing Hands, and The Flying Girl. Visit her at MargaritaEngle.com.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Shannon on April 19, 2023

This was a captivating YA novel in verse about two teens from different worlds who find a common cause and fall in love. I thoroughly enjoyed this world and the words the author used to bring the characters to life. Told in alternating perspectives we get to know Soleida, a Cuban refugee who escapes......more

Goodreads review by Summer on April 15, 2025

Wow, the writing is so beautiful. I am transported to these places instantly. As a romantasy fan, the poetry and level of emotion was *chef’s kiss.* Also I really appreciate the presentation and dissection of struggle and devastation without being traumatized myself. I can’t wait to read more by her......more

Goodreads review by Terry on October 25, 2022

Margarita Engle’s Wings in the Wild is a gift. I was a city Cuban, and in the time I spent in Cuba before coming to the US at age 12, I honestly didn’t leave the city. The birds that I saw were not all that inspiring. But Margarita has given me the gift of getting to know my island home’s wild place......more

Goodreads review by Froilan on March 28, 2024

"Alas Salvajes" (Wings in the Wild) is a vibrant exploration of the natural world, focusing mainly on birds' diverse and fascinating lives in their natural habitats. Through beautifully crafted prose, the book educates readers on the behavior, migration patterns, and ecological importance of various......more

Goodreads review by Renee on April 10, 2025

3.5 stars Alright, I just think it took on too much so it left the characters a bit flat.......more


Quotes

"Aida Reluzco and Andre Bellido do a beautiful job of narrating this story about the uncertainty of young love...Reluzco and Bellido both switch from English to Cuban Spanish easily. They have a youthful quality in their voices that adds authenticity to the listening experience. Reluzco is good at conveying Soleida's precarious mental state by adding the right amount of hesitation to her delivery."