Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa

Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa

About the Book

The Land of Stories meets Dominican myths and legends come to life in Pilar Ramirez and the Prison of Zafa, a blockbuster contemporary middle-grade fantasy duology starter from Julian Randall. Fans of Tristan Strong and The Storm Runner, here is your next obsession.

"A breathtaking journey . . . readers better hold on tight." ―Kwame Mbalia, New York Times bestselling author of the Tristan Strong series

Everything in twelve-year-old Pilar Violeta “Purp” Ramirez’s world is changing, and Pilar doesn’t care for it one bit. Her Chicago neighborhood is gentrifying and her chores have doubled since her sister, Lorena, left for college. The only constant is Abuela and Mami’s code of silence around her cousin Natasha―who disappeared in the Dominican Republic fifty years ago during the Trujillo dictatorship.

So when Pilar hears that one of Lorena's professor's studies disappearances under the Trujillato, she hops on the next train. After snooping around the professor's empty office, she finds a folder with her cousin’s name on it . . . and Pilar literally falls into the blank page within. She lands on Zafa, an island swarming with coconut-shaped demons, butterfly shapeshifters, and a sinister magical prison where her cousin is being held captive. Pilar will have to go toe-to-toe with the fearsome Dominican boogeyman if she has any hope of freeing Natasha and getting back home.
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Pilar Ramirez Duology Series

Pilar Ramirez and the Curse of San Zenon
Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa

About the Author

Julian Randall
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About the Author

Amanda Alcántara
Amanda Alcántara is a Caribbean writer, performer, and journalist. Her creative writing and journalistic work has been featured in anthologies and several news publications, and she is a co-founder and previous editor of La Galería Magazine. She's also produced podcasts for NPR's Latino USA and written articles for Remezcla on all things music. In 2021, Alcántara began recording Spanish language audiobooks, starting with providing the voiceover for the Spanish translation of The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman. She recently moved to the Dominican Republic and launched the Spanish-language podcast Radio Místico, exploring all things myths and legends from a Caribbean perspective. More by Amanda Alcántara
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