Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa

Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa is a blockbuster contemporary middle-grade fantasy and the start of a thrilling duology where The Land of Stories meets Dominican myths and legends brought vividly to life. Fans of Tristan Strong and The Storm Runner will find their next obsession in this unforgettable adventure from Julian Randall.

“A breathtaking journey … readers better hold on tight.” — Kwame Mbalia, New York Times bestselling author of the Tristan Strong series

Twelve-year-old Pilar Violeta “Purp” Ramirez’s world is changing, and she 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 the code of silence Abuela and Mami keep around her cousin Natasha, who vanished in the Dominican Republic fifty years earlier during the Trujillo dictatorship.

When Pilar learns that Lorena’s professor studies disappearances like Natasha’s, she hops on the next train to investigate her family’s mystery. After snooping around the professor’s empty office, she discovers a folder bearing her cousin’s name … and gets sucked into the blank page within.

Pilar lands in Zafa, an island teeming with coconut-shaped demons, butterfly shapeshifters, and a sinister magical prison where Natasha is being held captive. To rescue her cousin and find her way home, Pilar must confront the fearsome Dominican boogeyman, El Cuco.

“Magic awaits around every corner in Zafa. Nonstop action and plenty of heart create a story worth escaping into.” — Kirkus Reviews, starred review