In an engrossing historical novel, the Newbery Medal-winning author of Bridge to Terebithia follows a young Cuban teenager’s mission to teach others how to read.

When thirteen-year-old Lora tells her parents that she wants to join Premier Castro’s army of young literacy teachers, her mother screeches to high heaven, and her father roars like a lion. But didn’t her parents teach her to share what she has with someone in need? Shining light on a little-known moment in history, Katherine Paterson traces a young teen’s coming-of-age journey from a sheltered life to a singular mission: teaching fellow Cubans of all ages to read and write.

Katherine Paterson, a two-time winner of the Newbery Medal and the National Book Award, has written over thirty books and received numerous accolades, including the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award. With her late husband, John Paterson, she co-authored The Flint Heart, a wryly retold fantasy illustrated by John Rocco. A former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Katherine Paterson is well known for her work in promoting literacy in the United States and internationally, and in 2000 the Library of Congress named her a Living Legend. She lives in Vermont, USA.