Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa

By: Julian Randall

Narrated by: Amanda Alcántara

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.

Sassy and adventurous…readers most certainly need to hold on tight!

Pilar Ramirez is a treat to get to know! She’s sassy and spunky as a teen; and then other characters was matching her energy all the way to the end. The story itself engulfed me from the beginning and it felt like I was living the pages in real time. Masterful storytelling by the author, and can’t wait to dive back into the world of Zafa and Pilar!

Loved the story

Great story and great message. Also a Chicago author is just beautiful and wonderful