Skip to main content

The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom

Winner of the Pura Belpré Award and a Newbery Honor Book, The Surrender Tree tells the haunting story of Rosa, a freed Cuban slave at the time of Cuba’s third War of Independence from Spain. Rather than enjoy her freedom, she hides in the forest in order to tend the wounded with wild plants. Written in verse, Rosa’s vivid description of the healing plants and tragedies of war will mesmerize readers long after they turn the final page. Bilingual edition available.

Watch our video interview with Margarita Engle.

Find This Book

Other books by this author

Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir

Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir

Margarita Engle
Age Level:
YA
Genre:
Autobiography and Memoir
Published:
2015
hurricane dancers

Hurricane Dancers

Margarita Engle
Age Level:
Middle Grade
Genre:
Historical Fiction, Poetry
Published:
2011
The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba

The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette’s Journey to Cuba

Margarita Engle
Age Level:
Middle Grade
Genre:
Historical Fiction, Poetry
Published:
2010
The Lightning Dreamer: Cuba's Greatest Abolitionist

The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano

Margarita Engle
Age Level:
YA
Genre:
Biography, Nonfiction, Poetry
Published:
2006

The Wild Book

Margarita Engle
With a Star in My Hand

With a Star in My Hand: Rubén Darío, Poetry Hero

Margarita Engle
Age Level:
Middle Grade, YA
Genre:
Biography, Poetry
Published:
2020
Your Heart My Sky

Your Heart, My Sky: Love in a Time of Hunger

Margarita Engle
Age Level:
Middle Grade, YA
Genre:
Historical Fiction
Published:
2021