Under the Royal Palms: A Childhood in Cuba

By Alma Flor Ada

Book Overview

In this companion volume to Alma Flor Ada's Where the Flame Trees Bloom, the author offers young readers another inspiring collection of stories and reminiscences drawn from her childhood on the island of Cuba. Through those stories we see how the many events and relationships she enjoyed helped shape who she is today.
We learn of a deep friendship with a beloved dance teacher that helped sustain young Alma Flor through a miserable year in school. We meet relatives, like her mysterious Uncle Manolo, whose secret, she later learns, is that he dedicated his life to healing lepers. We share the tragedy of another uncle whose spirited personality leads to his love of flying...and the crash that takes his life.
Heartwarming, poignant, and often humorous, this collection encourages children to discover the stories in their our own lives -- stories that can help inform their own values and celebrate the joys and struggles we all share no matter where or when we grew up

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0689806310
• ISBN13: 9780689806315
• Release Date: November 1998
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 9.1"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Under the Royal Palms

Ada's book gives readers a unique look at life in Cuba. Her writing style is quite poetically descriptive yet I often got confused as to whether I was hearing the young child Ada or adult author Ada. As an adult I found her story interesting, but as a child I'm not so sure I would enjoy this book.