Margarita Engle is the national Young People's Poet Laureate, and the first Latino to receive that honor. She is the Cuban-American author of many verse novels, including The Surrender Tree, a Newbery Honor winner, and The Lightning Dreamer, a PEN Literary Award for Young Adult Literature winner. Her verse memoir, Enchanted Air, received the Pura Belpre Award, a Walter Dean Myers Award Honor, and was a finalist for the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction, among others. Her picture book Drum Dream Girl received the Charlotte Zolotow Award. Margarita was born in Los Angeles, but developed a deep attachment to her mother's homeland during childhood summers with relatives. She continues to visit Cuba as often as she can. Visit her at MargaritaEngle.com. Margarita Engle es una poeta y novelista cubano-americana cuyos libros incluyen El arbol de la rendicion, ganador del premio de honor Newbery, el premio Jane Adams para libros infantiles, el premio Pura Belpre de autor, el premio de las Americas y el premio de poesia Claudia Lewis; El poeta esclavo de Cuba, ganador del premio Pura Belpre para autores y el premio de las Americas; Secretos tropicales; Las cartas de las luciernagas; Los bailadores del huracan; El libro salvaje; El sonador del relampago, ganador del premio literario de PEN para literatura juvenil; Gente plateada; Una nina, un tambor, un sueno, ganador del premio Charlotte Zolotow; Isla de leones; y su libro de memorias Aire encantando, ganador del premio Pura Belpre y del premio de honor Walter Dean Mayers. Vive con su esposo al norte de California. Visitala en MargaritaEngle.com.