Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa

Wildblood

Winston Chu vs. the Whimsies

The Elemental Detectives

Cameron Battle and the Escape Trials

Serwa Boateng's Guide to Witchcraft and Mayhem

Beyond the Bowling Ball Bombing: From Under the Sun, Book 1

Hamra and the Jungle of Memories

Pilar Ramirez Duology

The Land of Stories meets Dominican myths and legends come to life in Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from 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

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 Abuela and Mami’s code of silence around her cousin Natasha―who vanished in the Dominican Republic fifty years ago during the Trujillo dictatorship.

When Pilar hears that Lorena’s professor studies such disappearances, she hops on the next train to dig deeper into her family's mystery. After snooping around the professor's empty office, she discovers a folder with her cousin’s name on it . . . and gets sucked 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, El Cuco, if she has any hope of freeing Natasha and getting back home.

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

Discover Your Child's Next Read

Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa

Julian Randall, 2022

Wildblood

Lauren Blackwood, 2023

Winston Chu vs. the Whimsies

Stacey Lee, 2023

The Elemental Detectives

Patrice Lawrence, 2022

Cameron Battle and the Escape Trials

Jamar J. Perry, 2023

Serwa Boateng's Guide to Witchcraft and Mayhem

Roseanne A. Brown, 2023

Beyond the Bowling Ball Bombing: From Under the Sun, Book 1

Kordel Lentine, 2021

Hamra and the Jungle of Memories

Hanna Alkaf, 2023