Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

  • Apple
  • Android
  • Windows Phone
  • Android

To get the free app, enter your email address or mobile phone number.
Download to your computer
Kindle Cloud Reader
Facebook Twitter Pinterest <Embed>
Buy Used
$4.49
FREE Shipping on orders over $25.
Used: Acceptable | Details
Sold by Clean Earth Books
Fulfilled by Amazon
Condition: Used: Acceptable
Comment: FREE TRACKING ON ALL ORDERS! Support Your Planet. Buy CLEAN EARTH BOOKS. Shipping orders swiftly since 2008. A used book that may have some cosmetic wear (i.e. shelf-wear, slightly torn or missing dust jacket, dented corner...) All text in great shape! Comes with our 100% Money Back Guarantee. Our customer service can't be beat! Tracking included on all orders.

Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a service we offer sellers that lets them store their products in Amazon's fulfillment centers, and we directly pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products. Something we hope you'll especially enjoy: FBA items qualify for FREE Shipping and .

If you're a seller, Fulfillment by Amazon can help you increase your sales. We invite you to learn more about Fulfillment by Amazon .

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon
Flip to back Flip to front
Listen Playing... Paused   You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more
See all 3 images

The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano (Pura Belpre Medal Book Author (Awards)) Hardcover – April 4, 2006

by
Margarita Engle (Author)
› Visit Amazon's Margarita Engle Page
Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
See search results for this author
Are you an author? Learn about Author Central
Margarita Engle (Author), Sean Qualls (Illustrator)
4.4 out of 5 stars 9 customer reviews
See all 6 formats and editions Hide other formats and editions
Price
New from Used from
Kindle
"Please retry"
$8.12
— —
Hardcover
"Please retry"
—
$5.00 $0.01
Paperback
"Please retry"
$9.99
$5.24 $0.01
Audible, Unabridged
"Please retry"
$0.00
Free with your Audible trial
The Jungle Book: The Strength of the Wolf is the Pack
The Jungle Book: The Strength of the Wolf is the Pack
Mowgli has lived in the Jungle for as long as he can remember. Raised by a noble wolf pack and mentored by a wise panther called Bagheera, Mowgli enjoys the rich, vibrant world of the animals. And while at times it is clear he doesn't quite fit in, he could never imagine leaving it. Hardcover | Kindle book | See more Jungle Book

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.
Back
  1. The Lightning Dreamer: Cuba's Greatest Abolitionist
    Margarita Engle
    4.6 out of 5 stars 28
    Hardcover
    $13.95 Prime
  2. Backfire: A Collection of Caribbean Short Stories
    Undine Giuseppi
    5.0 out of 5 stars 3
    Paperback
  3. When My Name Was Keoko
    Linda Sue Park
    4.5 out of 5 stars 94
    Paperback
    $6.99 Prime
  4. A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story
    Linda Sue Park
    4.8 out of 5 stars 905
    #1 Best Seller in Children's Africa Books
    Paperback
    $6.49 Prime
  5. SCIENCE EXPLORER C2009 LEP STUDENT EDITION LIFE SCIENCE
    PRENTICE HALL
    4.6 out of 5 stars 5
    Hardcover
    $91.45 Prime
  6. A Gift from Childhood: Memories of an African Boyhood
    Baba Wagué Diakité
    5.0 out of 5 stars 1
    Hardcover
Next
NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE

Product Details

  • Age Range: 12 - 18 years
  • Grade Level: 5 and up
  • Series: Pura Belpre Medal Book Author (Awards)
  • Hardcover: 192 pages
  • Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); First Edition edition (April 4, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0805077065
  • ISBN-13: 978-0805077063
  • Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.8 x 7.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #838,254 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsSoy Cuba
By E. R. Bird HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWER on July 20, 2006
Format: Hardcover
The verse novel is a tricky fickle thing. Though no one to the best of my knowledge has ever put down the rules that govern the creation of a verse novel, there are always a couple unwritten understandings. No verse novel should tell its tale through poetry when it would make more sense to tell it through prose. Also, just breaking up a bunch of sentences into lines doesn't mean you're writing poetry or anything. The ideal verse novel is one where it makes sense to write a story through poetry AND just happens to have an ear for beautiful language. Such is the case with Margaraita's, "The Poet Slave of Cuba". In the book it says that, "The life of Juan Francisco Manzano haunted her for years before she finally realized that to do justice to the Poet Slave's story, she needed to write it in verse". The result is an achingly beautiful and horrific story that deserves to be read by teens everywhere.

Born a slave in Cuba in 1797, Juan Francisco Manzano grew up the toast of his owner Dona Beatriz. His ability to memorize speeches, plays, and words of all sorts made him a kind of sought over pet to the Spanish aristocracy. Though she promised to grant him his freedom when she died and she allowed both his parents to buy their freedom, Juan Francisco remained a slave after Dona Beatriz's death and was handed over to the dangerously psychotic Marquesa de Prado Ameno. The Marquesa resents Juan from the moment he is put into her possession and every attempt he makes at reading or writing is put down with shocking violence. A biography told in poems, this book shows the worst of slavery's cruelties and the sheer will it takes to not only survive under such conditions but escape.

The text in the book alternates between different points of view on almost every page.Read more ›
Comment 8 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
5.0 out of 5 starsHI MR. COSBY
A Kid's Review on December 14, 2006
Format: Hardcover
How would you feel if your former master, who had loved you and cared for you like you were her own child, had said that once she died, you and your family would be free. Happy, right? Well what if no one paid any attention and you were sold to another master who punishes you for crimes you didn't commit?

That is the dilemma Juan Fransisco Manzano faces when his former owner, who took him to parties and had him wow her guest with his uncanny ability to recite poems and verses from the bible. At his baptism, Dona Beatriz, his former owner, declares that once she dies, he and his family will be free, for the price of 300 pesos, and any new-born babies will be born free. But once Dona Beatriz dies, Juan's family discovers they don't have enough money to buy Juan's freedom. So he is sold to La Marquesa De Prado Amendo, whose son, Don Nicolas, takes a liking to Juan, and befriends him. But La Marquesa frequently and brutally punishes Juan for sneaking peaks at her books. But she is grateful enough to let Juan watch her sons take art classes, and Don Nicholas gives Juan some parchment and a stub of crayon to draw with. Eventually, Don Nicholas helps give Juan the courage to run away, and Juan flees in search of his mother.

In really enjoyed this book for three reasons: the poetry, the character development, and the Spanish vocabulary sprinkled into the text.

The first reason I liked this book was in was written in free verse poetry form. This made the book very quick and easy to read, which made me like it more. It was also very unique, and was very well done.

The second reason I liked this book was the character development, mainly Juan. He grows up a lot in the book, from age eleven to age sixteen.Read more ›
Comment 4 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
4.0 out of 5 starsStory of Courage
By J. Peruch on October 5, 2009
Format: Hardcover
The Poet Slave of Cuba by Margarita Engle is a touching young adult novel that is written in verse. The story of the young poet slave is definitely not a happy one; but the ending will leave you feeling inspired to cherish the life you have. The novel is based on a true story about the life of Juan Francisco Manzano. Juan is a young man who was born into slavery in the late 1700's. He was blessed with a rare intelligence for the arts, especially for poetry. While young he could not read, but he could memorize beautiful sonnets, plays, verses and sermons with ease and then recite them with perfection. The upper class loved him, and his owners forced him to recite at parties all around, all the while treating him worse than the dirt they trod on. Although Juan had great parents who gave everything to have him free, all they gave was disregarded by the upper class and he was beat and tortured to the amusement of those that had money and power

This book had a way of putting my life into prospective more than any other book that I have read. The book is written in many different voices. As the reader hops from character to character and their point of view about the young Juan and his gift, they will see a cruelty in this world unlike any other. Yet on the other hand they will see courage and an unyielding love within the family of this young man. The art in this book is great too. The expressions on the faces of the characters, and the symbols of death and sadness were explicitly shown by the illustrator. Anyone that enjoys literature about other cultures must read this book. Anyone that feels like they were dealt a tough lot in life should read this book. If you need help persevering trials in life, look to Juan as an example of faith and hope and read this book.
Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse

There's a problem loading this menu right now.

Learn more about Amazon Prime.