Gr 5 Up—When Marisol's parents are forced to send her from colorful Cuba to dreary New York City, fearing for her
safety under Castro's leadership, she and her hosts struggle to find her place in an unfamiliar world. This nearly
wordless tale finds striking expression through use of color, symbols, and joyous momentum.

This nearly wordless graphic novel has beautiful illustrations that tell the story of a Cuban girl sent to New York to escape Castro's takeover of Cuba. This historical fiction tells the story of one of many children who came to the U.S. under Operation Peter Pan. The story shows Marisol's adjustment to New York and how deeply she misses home. This immigration story does a wonderful job of explaining the difficulties experiences by Cubans during this time and gives readers an understanding of the challenges immigrants face. ( )

A beautiful (mostly) wordless graphic novel about a preteen girl's experience moving from Cuba to the US. I love how much emotion the illustrations convey. ( )

5/5

Isla to Island is a wordless graphic novel about a young girl who is sent to America to escape the Cuban Revolution. Marisol struggles to find her place in New York and misses her home and family terribly. But she finds a way to feel at home again in New York.

I loved this graphic novel. The illustrations were beautiful and the way Castellanos chose to tell the story through pictures was so effective. While Marisol is in Cuba, her world is colorful and bright, but as soon as she lands in New York, the illustrations turn gray and white. The only color is the flower in her hair that her father picked for her in Cuba. But slowly, Marisol's world finds color again, in little things like plants and books, until her world is once again bright and colorful. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves graphic novel, historical fiction, or just stunning illustrations. ( )