Milagros: Girl from Away

"...an engaging and compelling tale of a fish out of water, learning to accept the realities of life through the magic of her heart." — School Library Journal, starred review Milagros de le Torre hasn’t had an easy life: ever since her father sailed away with pirates she’s been teased at school, and her family struggles to make ends meet. Still, Milagros loves her small island in the Caribbean, and she finds comfort in those who recognize her special gifts. But everything changes when marauders destroy Milagros’s island and with it, most of the inhabitants. Milagros manages to escape in a rowboat where she drifts out to sea with no direction, save for the mysterious manta rays that guide her to land. In stunning prose, Pura Belpré award-winning author Meg Medina creates a fantastical world in which a young girl uncovers the true meaning of family, the significance of identity, and, most important, the power of a mother’s love. "Give this to readers who are looking for something original, something wishful, and something strange, in a good way." — The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Meg Medina is the recipient of the Pura Belpré Award (2014) and the Ezra Jack Keats New Writers Award winner (2102).