Maravilla in Sunlight

A girl fights to find her voice amid immigration crackdowns in this luminous, deeply moving novel in verse about the power of storytelling and first love in uncertain times from award-winning author Margarita Engle.

Stories can change the world. Maravilla has always believed this. It’s why she writes poems and plays—and why she dreams of life beyond the hills of De Luz, California, where the sky burns gold at dusk. Lately, though, everything feels uncertain. Her parents have split up, and Maravilla feels more invisible than ever.

Then she meets Monte, the boy from the neighboring ranch who whistles like a songbird and understands horses as if they shared the same heartbeat. With him, something new begins to bloom—something quiet, electric, and impossible to ignore. But as their feelings deepen, so does the fear in their community. As immigration raids tear families apart, Maravilla finds her voice and, with it, the strength to fight for a better future.