POETRY

 

                       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

HURRICANE DANCERS

written by Margarita Engle
Harry Holt and Company
New York, New York
2011

SUMMARY

Hurricane Dancers is a historical fiction novel, written in poetic verse and changing voices to allow readers into the minds of several characters.  Set in the early 1500s, Quebrado (the broken one) has been a slave boy for many years, captured after his father (a wandering Spaniard) abandoned him.  He now works aboard Bernardino de Talavera’s pirate ship, where Alonso de Ojeda, the governor of Venezuela, is being held captive.

Quebrado’s entries speak of the fear he has of his captors and his terror during a devastating hurricane.  When the ship finally sinks, Quebrado is rescued by a fisherman, Naridó.  Quebrado is held in high esteem with Narido’s people, and, when de Talavera and Ojeda finally make their way into the village, Quebrado has the opportunity to decide their fate.  Once he decides to set them free, he feels that he has a new life.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Hurricane Dancers tells its story from several different points of view.  Because the story focuses on the stories of five different characters, it is necessary to pay close attention to which character is speaking.  Engle’s includes notes at the beginning and the end, which help the reader with little background knowledge of this time period.
The journal entries have a definite rhythmic feel, sometimes soft and timid and other times harsh and angry.  Personification, similes, and metaphors are found throughout this novel in verse.  Engle’s use of figurative language generates vivid images for the reader, creating a sense of the deep emotions felt by the characters.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

Publishers Weekly: "The story, based on historical events, feels too rich for Engle's spare, broken-line poetry. Still, the subject matter is an excellent introduction to the age of exploration and its consequences, showing slavery sinking its insidious roots in the Americas and the price paid by those who were there first."

Horn Book Magazine: "Like intersecting rip tides, several first-person narratives converge in this verse novel of the sixteenth century."

Booklist: "Once again, Engle fictionalizes historical fact in a powerful, original story."

School Library Journal: "Unique and inventive, this is highly readable historical fiction that provides plenty of fodder for discussion."

CONNECTIONS

Read a short biography of Alonso de Ojeda at http://www.chroniclesofamerica.com/bios/alonso_de_ojeda.htm
Using a T-Chart, or other appropriate graphic organizer, list facts from Hurricane Dancers that are accurate and those details that were fictionalized.
Discuss why an author might fictionalize some aspects of the story, while keeping other information accurate.

When studying the Caribbean Islands, read this historical fiction novel to students.  Discuss those aspects of the story that depict the culture of the region and what life must have been like for the enslaved (like Quebrado), the pirates (like de Talavera), and prisoners (de Ojeda).
Ask students to write a journal entry as one of these characters for the day after Quebrado allowed de Talavera and de Ojeda to go free.


AWARDS

2012 Pura Belpré Author Honor
ALSC 2012 Notable Children’s Book for older readers
ALA Best Books for Young Adults nominee
Poetry for Children Blog’s Top 20 Most Distinctive Books of Poetry 2011



Engle, M., Herzog, L., & Henry Holt and Company (2011). Hurricane dancers: The first Caribbean pirate shipwreck. New York: Henry Holt & Co. ISBN-13: 978-1250040107