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12th out of 12 books
—
15 voters
The Wild Book
Fefa struggles with words. She has word blindness, or dyslexia, and the doctor says she will never read or write. Every time she tries, the letters jumble and spill off the page, leaping and hopping away like bullfrogs. How will she ever understand them? But her mother has an idea. She gives Fefa a blank book filled with clean white pages. "Think of it as a garden," she sa...more
Hardcover, 130 pages
Published
March 20th 2012
by Harcourt Children's Books
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The Wild Book is a novel in verse by two-time Pura Belpré winner, Margarita Engle. This fictionalized account of her grandmother’s struggle with dyslexia takes readers to Cuba, 1912. While the book is fiction, it is inspired by the stories Engle heard from her grandmother. This story is rich with history, emotion, and determination.
Fefa, short for Josefa, is about 11 years old when she is diagnosed with “word-blindness” by the village doctor. He tells her mother that she will never be able to...more
Fefa, short for Josefa, is about 11 years old when she is diagnosed with “word-blindness” by the village doctor. He tells her mother that she will never be able to...more
FTC Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book from the Amazon Vine Program in exchange for an honest review.
The Wild Book by Margarita Engle
Summary: Fefa struggles with words. She has word blindness, or dyslexia, and the doctor says she will never read or write. Every time she tries, the letters jumble and spill off the page, leaping and hopping away like bullfrogs. How will she ever understand them? But her mother has an idea. She gives Fefa a blank book filled with clean wh...more
The Wild Book by Margarita Engle
Summary: Fefa struggles with words. She has word blindness, or dyslexia, and the doctor says she will never read or write. Every time she tries, the letters jumble and spill off the page, leaping and hopping away like bullfrogs. How will she ever understand them? But her mother has an idea. She gives Fefa a blank book filled with clean wh...more
Summary:
This is based on the stories that Margarita Engle’s grandmother told of her childhood. It is written in free verse form.
Fefa struggles in school because of reading and writing. The words do not seem to make sense to her. She says that they slip and jump away like frogs. The doctor says that she has word-blindness and will never be able to read or write. Fefa’s mother disagrees and gives Fefa a blank book to fill with her own words. Fefa begins writing in it nearly everyday. Through this,...more
This is based on the stories that Margarita Engle’s grandmother told of her childhood. It is written in free verse form.
Fefa struggles in school because of reading and writing. The words do not seem to make sense to her. She says that they slip and jump away like frogs. The doctor says that she has word-blindness and will never be able to read or write. Fefa’s mother disagrees and gives Fefa a blank book to fill with her own words. Fefa begins writing in it nearly everyday. Through this,...more
About:
I requested a copy of The Wild Book through AmazonVine to read with my daughter.
This beautifully story is told in verse. It's the story of eleven year old Fefa who is dyslexic. The story takes place in Cuba in 1912. Fefa's mother gives her a book with blank pages to write her thoughts in.
Throw wildflower seeds
all over each page, she advises.
Let the words sprout
like seedlings,
then relax and watch
as your wild diary
grows.
p.6, The Wild Book
As Fefa writes in her 'wild book', she describes how...more
I requested a copy of The Wild Book through AmazonVine to read with my daughter.
This beautifully story is told in verse. It's the story of eleven year old Fefa who is dyslexic. The story takes place in Cuba in 1912. Fefa's mother gives her a book with blank pages to write her thoughts in.
Throw wildflower seeds
all over each page, she advises.
Let the words sprout
like seedlings,
then relax and watch
as your wild diary
grows.
p.6, The Wild Book
As Fefa writes in her 'wild book', she describes how...more
One of the best things about The Wild Book is Margarita Engle's keen eye for detail. The slim verse novel is loosely based on the life of Fefa, Engle's grandmother, and it's clear that Engle paid close attention to the stories that her grandmother told.
The Wild Book details the life of a girl with dyslexia in the uncertain world of 1912 Cuba, and the descriptions of the everyday details of that time and place are startlingly observant. When she speaks, for instance, of encountering during a fam...more
The Wild Book details the life of a girl with dyslexia in the uncertain world of 1912 Cuba, and the descriptions of the everyday details of that time and place are startlingly observant. When she speaks, for instance, of encountering during a fam...more
Lovely. Absolutely lyrical language. Set in Cuba in the early 1900's during the US occupation, the book centers around a young girl who has "word blindness" (now known as dyslexia). Her mother gives her a blank book to write in, and the girl sets out to fill it with "wild things". As she writes about her life, she slowly learns to read. Written in free verse, the book is based loosely on the experiences of Margarita Engle's grandmother. What really makes this book stand out for me is Engle's att...more
This is the first book I've read by Margarita Engle, but having done so it certainly will not be the last! The Wild Book tells the story of dyslexic Fefa who is tormented for her "word-blindness". Through the gentle coaxing of her mother and her own force of will (plus a lot of practice!) Fefa slowly works to improve her reading and writing.
The format of the book (free verse) only accentuates Fefa's limited positive interaction with print, but conveys such emotion that nothing is missed. Based m...more
The format of the book (free verse) only accentuates Fefa's limited positive interaction with print, but conveys such emotion that nothing is missed. Based m...more
Thanks to netgalley I can get through a lot of books. Now this one has been out for awhile, but I'm trying to clean up my kindle and do a better job of reviewing.
I love novels in verse. They are books that truly allow an author to show their real talent. Each word is carefully selected to paint the most beautiful story, without over telling it.
Word-blindness strikes our little girl down. Dyslexia to the rest of us while seen as a negative she doesn't give up. Her mother gives her a blank book...more
I love novels in verse. They are books that truly allow an author to show their real talent. Each word is carefully selected to paint the most beautiful story, without over telling it.
Word-blindness strikes our little girl down. Dyslexia to the rest of us while seen as a negative she doesn't give up. Her mother gives her a blank book...more
"The Wild One" was a very eye catching book. This story was about a little girl named Fefa and she struggles with words. She has word blindness and the doctor says she won't be able to read or write. But her mother has an idea. She gives Fefa a blank book filled with clean white pages. "Think of it as a garden," she says. Soon Fefa starts to sprinkle words across the pages of her wild book. She lets her words sprout like seedlings, shaky at first, then growing stronger and surer with each new da...more
Okay, I like the idea of this book and as an adult, I really enjoyed it. However, I don't think that the audience the author intended this book for is actually the audience for this book.
Fefa has dyslexia and struggles with reading and writing throughout the book. I could see a book with that premise being really good for a child who struggles with reading and writing. However, with the way this book was written, I think it'd be extremely challenging for a child with dyslexia to read this book....more
Fefa has dyslexia and struggles with reading and writing throughout the book. I could see a book with that premise being really good for a child who struggles with reading and writing. However, with the way this book was written, I think it'd be extremely challenging for a child with dyslexia to read this book....more
A story told in verse about a young girl who struggles with dyslexia. The author used her grandmother's stories about her childhood growing up on a farm in the early 1900s during the time following Cuba's wars for independence from Spain.
What most impressed me about this book was the feel for time and place the author gave me as she created the setting for this tale. The honesty with which she deals with the young girl's struggle with reading is great. I think it is relatable and explained so w...more
What most impressed me about this book was the feel for time and place the author gave me as she created the setting for this tale. The honesty with which she deals with the young girl's struggle with reading is great. I think it is relatable and explained so w...more
My Review: The Wild Book is fiction inspired by stories told by the author’s grandmother Fefa, who at a young age struggled with dyslexia. But she found ways to overcome this disability with help from her mother who gave her a book with blank pages to write down her thoughts.
Fefa wrote about how her classmates and siblings taunted her, they laugh and mock her and her brothers frighten her with lizards, bugs and spiders. The teacher was too busy to give her extra help and her mom was always there...more
Fefa wrote about how her classmates and siblings taunted her, they laugh and mock her and her brothers frighten her with lizards, bugs and spiders. The teacher was too busy to give her extra help and her mom was always there...more
Fefa is an eleven year old farm girl living in Cuba in the early 1900s. She has "word blindness" (dyslexia) and the "slippery vanishing words" makes her feel lonely and clumsy. To help Fefa, her mother gives her a blank diary, telling her she should treat it like a garden and "let the words sprout like seedlings." The book follows Fefa as she patiently tries to read while dealing with the turmoil of Cuba at the turn of the 20th Century.
In her typical fashion, Margarita Engle uses few words and...more
In her typical fashion, Margarita Engle uses few words and...more
Aug 20, 2012
Lindsay
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
poetry,
dyslexia,
family,
brothers-and-sisters,
siblings,
reading,
writing,
cuba,
war,
historical-fiction,
20th-century,
slavery,
racism,
natives,
native-americans,
nature,
garden,
spain,
caribbean,
hispanic,
latin-america
This historical fiction story, told in verse, is about Fefa, an 11-year-old girl who lives with her family in Cuba during the early 20th century, after the wars for independence that took place in many Latin American countries during the late 19th century. Fefa struggles with reading and writing due to dyslexia, which, at the time was called word-blindness. Through the encouragment and patience of first her mother and then an older brother, Fefa's reading and writing get better. She even saves t...more
A novel in verse written from the point of view of a dyslexic girl growing up in early 20th century Cuba. I have to comment on the cover: I think it's one of my favorites of all time. Just enchanting. The free verse is well-suited to the story of a girl who finds that words jump all over the page. For Fefa, free verse, a form that is free-flowing and unstructured, allows her to express herself more easily than either prose or rhyming poetry, both of which have rules she finds difficult to adhere...more
Fefa lives in Cuba at the turn of the 20th century. This was a time of unrest, both within the government and within her own life. She struggles with dyslexia, and the teasing of her siblings and classmates. Through the poetry, we journey with Fefa as she confronts and ultimately defeats this problem.
I picked this book up as it was recommended by one of the book sellers, from whom I buy books for my library.
I finished it because the words were simple, beautiful and evoked a setting with which I...more
I picked this book up as it was recommended by one of the book sellers, from whom I buy books for my library.
I finished it because the words were simple, beautiful and evoked a setting with which I...more
A little girl in Cuba named Fefa is diagnosed with Word Blindness in 1912, long before the learning disorder became known as Dyslexia. Fefa is determined to see the words that won't still still on the page. She decides to keep a book and write in it daily. This novel set all in verse is filled with all of Fefa's thoughts and feelings.
Fefa's voice is strong from the start. Engle's writing is pure beauty.
The others laugh
They always laugh
When I am forced to read
Out Loud
they mock
my stumbling v...more
Fefa's voice is strong from the start. Engle's writing is pure beauty.
The others laugh
They always laugh
When I am forced to read
Out Loud
they mock
my stumbling v...more
Fefa cannot read because she suffers from "word-blindness" or dyslexia. Her mother gives her a blank book to write her own words. Scrawling her wild words into the book gives Fefa growing confidence and provides her insight that saves her family at a crucial moment.
Based on Engle's grandmother's childhood experiences growing up during the chaos after Cuba's fight for independence from Spain.
This novel in verse contains so many wonderful images. One of my favorites:
Storytelling
No one in my family...more
Based on Engle's grandmother's childhood experiences growing up during the chaos after Cuba's fight for independence from Spain.
This novel in verse contains so many wonderful images. One of my favorites:
Storytelling
No one in my family...more
Told in poems, this is the story of Engle’s maternal grandmother and her struggle with dyslexia. Known as Fefa, her grandmother was diagnosed with “word blindness” and told she would never read or write. Luckily, Fefa’s mother has an idea. She gives her daughter a blank book to fill with words, as if she is scattering wildflower seeds on the ground. At first Fefa’s words are hesitant and stilted, like seedlings. But steadily her writing and reading improve as she learns to take her time and gain...more
This historical fiction book was written in prose and was very short. It told the story of Fefa (who was based on the author's grandmother) who lived in Cuba in the early 1900's. Because she had dyslexia (word blindness) everyone considered her stupid and made fun of her. But after her brother accidentally shot himself, he became her teacher as he recovered and it was she who figured out it was their farm manager who was trying to hold her brothers and sisters for ransom. This would be a no vote...more
Fefa struggles with words. She has "word blindness", or dyslexia, and the doctor says she will never read or write. Every time she tries, the letters jumble and spill off the page, leaping and hopping away like bullfrogs. How will she ever understand them?
But her mother has an idea. She gives Fefa a blank book filled with clean white pages. "Think of it as a garden," she says. Soon Fefa starts to sprinkle words across the pages of her wild book. She lets her words sprout like seedlings, shaky a...more
But her mother has an idea. She gives Fefa a blank book filled with clean white pages. "Think of it as a garden," she says. Soon Fefa starts to sprinkle words across the pages of her wild book. She lets her words sprout like seedlings, shaky a...more
I'm a fan of Margarita Engle's work, and there is plenty of lovely writing in this story about Fefa, a young Cuban girl with dyslexia (call word-blindness in Cuba in the early 1900s). Her struggle and eventual victory in learning to read--and, more, to love to read--is about 90% of this book. There is a little bit about a threat to Fefa's family from kidnappers, and Fefa's ability to read saves the day. The reason my rating isn't higher for this book is that I wanted more story. Engle has a beau...more
I just have to express my absolute LOVE of this cover! The illustrations are just so colorful and beautiful. Now for the actual story: this is the third book I’ve read by Margarita Engle and unfortunately none of them have lived up to the first.
The Wild Book is about eleven-year old Fefa, who at the beginning of the book finds out she has “word-blindness” or what we now know as common day dyslexia. The book is about Fefa’s struggle and how she works to overcome it. It’s set in the Cuban countrys...more
The Wild Book is about eleven-year old Fefa, who at the beginning of the book finds out she has “word-blindness” or what we now know as common day dyslexia. The book is about Fefa’s struggle and how she works to overcome it. It’s set in the Cuban countrys...more
Jul 21, 2012
Barbara
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
bullies,
cultural-identity,
families,
novels-in-verse,
literacy,
reading,
word-lovers,
strong-women,
writing,
ncbla2013
As she so often does in her books, Engle draws on her Cuban heritage, telling the story of her own grandmother's struggle with literacy. When she is ten, Fefa's doctor diagnoses her with word-blindness (as dyslexia was called in the early days of the twentieth century). Unable to understand the words she sees on the pages of books, Fefa is understandably embarrassed and frustrated. But her mother gives her a blank book and tells her to use it to write down whatever she can. At first, Fefa can ma...more
This is one of the choices for our novels in verse unit. It needs a little background knowledge building about Cuba and its history, but it's very good! It's also a good introduction to discussions about civil rights in other countries. I like that it incorporates personal difficulties such as dyslexia with global challenges such as war and occupation. Our kids may not be dealing with war on our own soil, but they do deal with news all around the world that affects them. I also like the multicul...more
Today having a learning disabilty is more manageable in a lot of ways but in decades past there was a lot of misconceptions that people had when it came to them. Children who had them were often considered to be stupid and hopeless.
This is the story of author Margarita Engle's grandmother, Fefa. Fefa has dyslexia which was known as "word blindness" at the time she lived. The doctor who her mother had taken her to said that she would never read nor write. However Fefa's loving mother never gave...more
This is the story of author Margarita Engle's grandmother, Fefa. Fefa has dyslexia which was known as "word blindness" at the time she lived. The doctor who her mother had taken her to said that she would never read nor write. However Fefa's loving mother never gave...more
Based on the life of the author's grandmother, this slim volume gives a sense of time and place (Cuba, 1912) while also presenting a story about a girl, Fefa, with "word blindness" (dyslexia). The dyslexia portion of the story was not as strong as I would wish although you do get a sense of Fefa's frustrations. Fefa's family members never fully emerge as individuals except for an older brother. As always though, I enjoyed Engle's lyrical language.
recommend for 5th grade and up
recommend for 5th grade and up
Apr 02, 2012
Paul Hankins
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
april-2012-reads,
middle-grade-memorable-writing,
middle-grade-touching,
middle-grade-touching-poignant-dive,
mr-hankins-says-don-t-miss,
middle-grade-touching-tender,
young-adult-in-verse,
young-adult-diversity,
young-adult-inspiring,
young-adult-memorable-writing,
young-adult-multicultural
Margarita Engle's novel in verse about her grandmother, Fefa, described by a doctor as "word blind" (dyslexic).
Engle's verse has many, many lines that are just ripe for the picking out for mentor texts.
Allusions to Nicaraguan poet, Ruben Dario, offer one more extension to poetry, especially for those looking for more diversity in poets/poetry.
Early predictions for Engle's latest book to be present during awards season early on in 2013.
Engle's verse has many, many lines that are just ripe for the picking out for mentor texts.
Allusions to Nicaraguan poet, Ruben Dario, offer one more extension to poetry, especially for those looking for more diversity in poets/poetry.
Early predictions for Engle's latest book to be present during awards season early on in 2013.
Gorgeous, fun, intriging, lyrical read of a little girl whose relationship with words transforms when her mother gifts her a book with blank pages within which to create and collect her own words.
Fefa is dsylexic, but soon learns the power of words when the pages of her book provide an insight into the mysterious kidnappings that are happening in their midst.
A wonderful and original storytelling, one to re-read definitely.
Fefa is dsylexic, but soon learns the power of words when the pages of her book provide an insight into the mysterious kidnappings that are happening in their midst.
A wonderful and original storytelling, one to re-read definitely.
Review of an advance copy:
This book, featuring Margarita Engle's lovely free-verse, is based on the life of Ms. Engle's grandmother. 11-year-old Fefa (Josefa) has dyslexia. The local doctor calls it "word blindness" and suggests that Fefa will never be able to read or write. Fortunately, Mamá has faith in her daughter and insists on patience and perseverance. And, despite the teasing from her siblings and the doctor's harsh verdict, Fefa also has an indomitable spirit. Her persistence begins to...more
This book, featuring Margarita Engle's lovely free-verse, is based on the life of Ms. Engle's grandmother. 11-year-old Fefa (Josefa) has dyslexia. The local doctor calls it "word blindness" and suggests that Fefa will never be able to read or write. Fortunately, Mamá has faith in her daughter and insists on patience and perseverance. And, despite the teasing from her siblings and the doctor's harsh verdict, Fefa also has an indomitable spirit. Her persistence begins to...more
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Margarita Engle is a Cuban-American poet, novelist, and journalist whose work has been published in many countries. She lives with her husband in northern California.
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“I don't understand the whole thrilling verse, but I love the way poetry turns ordinary words into winged things that rise up and soar!”
—
2 people liked it
“Danger is a chain...passed from one wounded child to the next. We must stop the danger by breaking the chain. We must learn how to stay safe and be kind.”
—
1 person liked it
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Nov 05, 2012 05:14pm